Just a few months ago, Rodney King was once again the centre of attention as the world checked in on the man whose videotaped beating by police sparked one of the worst race riots in the US.

Rodney King, whose 1991 beating at the hands of police led to deadly race riots in Los Angeles the following year, was found dead in a swimming pool yesterday in Rialto, California, police said.

Part of the stage for a weekend concert by Elton John at Mexico’s famed Chichen Itza ruins collapsed as it was being built, injuring three workers, authorities said today.