During the early days of the Jackson five, Michael Jackson's chubby cheeks
and cherubic smile enchanted fans and endeared him to the public.
Naturally slender, Jackson never needed to pay much attention
to his weight, as daily rehearsals and gruelling stage performances meant him
and his brothers maintained an active lifestyle.
The Jacksons were the picture of good
health, youth, vibrancy and a model example of a wholesome black American family.
According to his mother, Katherine.
When Michael was at home,
he would eat normally, take care of himself and keep fit
by shooting hoops with his brothers on their driveway.
However, while on the road,
the Jackson brothers eating patterns would take a turn as they often resorted to fast
food and sugary snacks to get them through their chaotic work schedules.
Like many teenagers, Michael Jackson developed a sweet tooth
and indulged himself with his favorite junk food, Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Multiple sources have confirmed that he
would often have KFC buckets all over his home and car.
His teenage friend, David Guest,
said that he had enjoyed fried chicken since childhood.
Quote 'I remember he'd sit in his car,
take off the skin and say, David, now I've made it organic.
I can eat it'.
However, David Guest mentioned how Jackson became increasingly preoccupied with his
weight and image as he developed into adulthood, encouraging Guest to slim
down, saying, quote, 'You've always got to improve to make yourself look better'.
In the early 1980s, Michael Jackson sought to lose weight due to his desire
for a dancer's body, believing his movements would appear
cleaner and more precise when performed by a more angular body.
By the time Thriller was released,
Michael had become a vegetarian and adopted a strict, healthy lifestyle.
It was widely reported that Michael Jackson did not drink
alcohol, smoke or abuse illegal substances due to his entrenched religious beliefs.
Adding to Michael Jackson's 'goody-two-shoes' public image.
Which was at odds with Jackson's much publicized endorsement of sugary soda
brand, Pepsi Cola, that he reportedly never actually drank.
During this period, Michael was open about
fasting at least one day a week for religious as well as health reasons.
But instead of laying low that day to conserve his energy,
Michael would dance nonstop on his portable dance floor in his bedroom.
Just something I decided to do for my body.
And I dance every Sunday and
I feel better.
You just fasted and dance? And I don't eat anything.
But Michael Jackson's restrictive diet didn't stop there.
Although a vegetarian, he didn't actually like vegetables very
much and wasn't a fan of pasta dishes neither.
He soon became notorious for being a very picky eater.
Katherine Jackson mentioned that Michael
at one point employed a full time chef, but she didn't know why
he bothered because when she took him his
food, eat two tablespoons and leave the rest.
During 1983, Michael Jackson's dieting became more apparent as his weight dropped
to a reported 120 pounds while filming the Thriller music video.
Those around him became increasingly
concerned about Michael Jackson's inconsistent eating habits as they were
preparing to embark on the Jacksons' Victory tour.
Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy
and speculated he was suffering from anorexia nervosa.
His mother recounted that he told her that, quote, 'If I didn't eat to live.
I'd never eat.'
Sometimes Michael didn't want to eat at all, at least not a decent meal.
He once had a handful of M&Ms and he was just popping those in his mouth one
at a time saying that's all he wanted and had not eaten anything else all day.
There are times when he would eat in his room a salad that was made for him.
He would sometimes just eat half
or just take a couple of bites and leave it.
Katherine Jackson also stated, quote,
'Michael Jackson enjoyed having the last word in our arguments about his diet.
"You're always worrying about me being too skinny", he'd say.
"But you know what? My doctor told me I was in number one shape.
Oh, stop worrying about me"'
But ultimately, 1984's Victory tour got
the better of Michael as he suffered from exhaustion and dehydration due
to lack of rest after his physical exertion on stage,
as well as stress caused by family and business dramas
while on the road,
Brazilian chef, Remi Villa Real, who was once employed by Quincy Jones
and impressed Jackson with her all natural, healthy vegetarian cooking,
remembers when she was in her apartment and received a phone call.
'Well, the person on the phone asked me to look outside.
He said, "See the limousine, get in it now."
I told him I could not because I had
to change my clothes because I was all dirty from cleaning.
They didn't care.
I was taken to a big building in Beverly Hills and up to the very top penthouse.
It was very luxurious.
The man on the other side of the desk
handed me a ticket and said, "You are going to the airport right now.
Here's your ticket".
I asked him why.
He explained to me that Michael Jackson was having stomach aches and specifically
requested me to be his nutritionist on the Victory tour.
He was feeling sick to his stomach
and refused to go on stage until they sent me to be his private cook.
They were all very nervous.
They said they were losing millions
of dollars in canceled shows and I had to go right then'.
Years later, when Michael Jackson chose
to embark on his subsequent solo tours, his doctor insisted that he go on a strict
high protein diet, including fish, so he'd be able to keep
his stamina up, which Michael reluctantly agreed to.
In later conversations Jackson stated, quote,
'What turns me off is that I don't like eating anything that used to be alive,
now it's dead on my plate.
I want to be a strict vegetarian,
but my doctors keep trying to throw in chicken and fish.'
However, the additional nourishment was needed for Jackson to perform
in the manner he was used to and what his fans came to expect.
It was reported that Jackson's high energy
performances were so physically gruelling he lost weight every time he performed.
After each show, it was said that he lost between 8 to 10 pounds.
His dresser, Michael Bush,
even had pants with different waist sizes that Jackson would change into
during those shows.
Cory Rooney and Chris Apostle,
former Sony executives, spoke about the discussions they had
with Michael Jackson about a tour that could support his 2001 album Invincible.
Quote, 'Cory, I can't tour anymore. It will kill me.
OK? Remember when I was preparing
for my concert and I passed out at the Sony studio?
Well, it's because when I get ready for a tour, I get dehydrated.
I don't eat, I don't drink, I don't sleep.
I put so much of myself into preparing for it'.
Jackson reportedly said he wanted to continue to put out albums
in till he couldn't do it anymore, but he just couldn't tour again.
However, despite a lack of touring,
weight fluctuations would become a recurring problem as the years went on.
A few months after the allegations became
news in 1993, he had stopped eating altogether and lost approximately 10
pounds in weight in a matter of weeks. According to Jackson,
he had a tendency to stop eating when, quote, 'really upset or hurt'.
Longtime friend Elizabeth Taylor,
had to make him eat during this ordeal.
'Well, she took the spoon and put it into my mouth'.
He said that he eventually became
unconscious and had to be fed intravenously.
It was around this time that Jackson
developed a drug addiction that became unmanageable.
The stress from this case put enormous
pressure on the fragile health of Michael Jackson.
Although the charges were dropped in,
the boy refused to testify any further against this, 'best friend'.
The damage was already done.
Years later, during his 2005 child
molestation trial, Michael Jackson resorted to medicating
himself in order to numb the mental and physical pain he was suffering with as
a result of the stress he endured during the high profile proceedings.
As a result, his health diminished.
Nutritionist Dick Gregory reported
that during the trial, Michael Jackson's weight had fallen
significantly as he was barely able to stay above 100 pounds.
The entertainer didn't eat and drink enough, because Michael's family were so
concerned, they turned to Gregory for help.
Gregory also admitted that his client often collapsed when he returned to his
Neverland Valley Ranch after days in court.
But he was stronger at the trial than he was when he got home in the evening.
That's when he was able to collapse
and deal with the pain and feel the hurt of his body.
He was a zombie.
He just didn't have an appetite and he wasn't eating.
There was nothing he could do to get his appetite back.
After being found not guilty.
Michael Jackson resorted to his
self-imposed isolation and fell into deeper drug dependency.
Staff around him noticed that he didn't like to eat much after taking medications.
And even though Jackson didn't eat all
that much, he still made time to sit down with his kids for a meal together.
Well, even though he'd say a lot of times,
I'm not hungry, this is what he wanted to do.
He was a prime example of a very good
father, said director and friend Spike Lee.
In 2009, Lou Ferrigno,
who personally helped Jackson train for his upcoming This Is It London
performances, suggested that his eating regimen was far from ideal.
Quote, He only ate once a day and it was
always a running joke with us that I need to put meat on his bones.
But I just told him the proper supplements to take.
He might have been a little thin because
he was under a lot of stress and training for the tour, Ferrigno said.
But when I put him through the routine and everything, it was just fine.
I mean, very energetic.
Michael Jackson would often skip meals
and at one point a person was employed solely to remind him to eat.
The tour director would help by cutting up
Jackson's chicken for him. Karen Faye, his make up artist and friend, said
in an interview that she could actually see his heartbeat through his skin chest.
She immediately told his manager,
Frank DiLeo, who answered, 'So get him a bucket of chicken'.
Michael Taperoo,
Michael's former security, said, quote, He was always thin,
but he was also in the middle of a very stressful time getting ready for the tour.
He noted that he last saw Jackson at a Beverly Hills restaurant.
Quote, I even said to Michael, this is the skinniest I've ever seen you.
He said, Well, I've been rehearsing.
On June 26th, 2009,
the morning after Michael Jackson's sudden death from cardiac arrest,
Jackson weighed 136 pounds and measured 5.75 feet tall.
According to details taken during his autopsy,
Jackson's stomach was absolutely empty of any food except for partially dissolved
drugs, which he took a few hours before his final moments.
Watch part two
where we ask the question, did Michael Jackson suffer from an eating
disorder? And did his low weight contribute to his untimely death?
Also, if you enjoyed watching, make sure to hit thumbs up and subscribe
for more Michael Jackson videos like this one.
We'll see you next time.