When Michael Jackson passed away on June
25th, 2009, at the age of 50, his sudden death was a shock to the entire world.
Shrouded in mystery,
many fans were left wondering what events led up to his final demise.
Even intimate details like what the global superstar's very last words were.
However, it's important to first understand the king of pop's life
in the weeks and months before for his tragic passing.
During March of that year,
in a high profile press conference, Jackson thrilled fans by announcing his
'This Is It' concert residency at London's O2 Arena.
Although the career comeback wasn't solely
due to the superstar's desire to perform again. With mounting debt,
'This Is It' was designed to show the public, who had been bombarded
with sensationalized tabloid wacko jacko headlines for decades now,
that Jackson still had what it takes as an entertainer and its proceeds would help
the pop superstar get on top of his spiraling finances.
Michael Jackson had written new songs
and was rehearsing multiple hours a day in preparation for the concert series.
But as the production team prepped for the shows, Jackson's already erratic
behavior worsened as opening night approached.
Emotionally frail and physically thin, Jackson was described by his makeup artist
Karen Faye as, quote, very upbeat, but he was on the thin side,
Faye said of an earlier April 2009 meeting with Jackson.
Come June, everything had changed.
Quote, he was not the man I knew, Faye recounted.
Quote he was acting like a person I didn't recognize.
During a mid June rehearsal, Jackson appeared very stoic but frightened.
According to Faye, quote, he kept repeating, why can't I choose?
It was one of the things he repeated over and over again, Faye said,
adding that she, quote, had never seen him so emaciated.
What exactly happened to the pop superstar between the months of April and June
to cause such a notable change in his appearance and overall well being?
In May 2009, AEG Live hired Dr.
Conrad Murray via Jackson to be the singer's exclusive personal physician
for the tour, though AEG would later claim there was never a contract with Murray.
What exactly was Murray's job? To ensure
to the best of his ability that the performer was in tour ready shape.
By the time Jackson began rehearsing for the 50 concert dates,
he was already being treated for chronic pain for decades.
Some injuries included headburns
that the singer suffered while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984,
and later a back injury he sustained when a bridge suspended above a stage that he
was standing on collapsed during a concert in Munich, Germany in 1999.
This, compounded by Jackson's trouble sleeping, especially following tour
performances and other high stress circumstances,
as well as multiple diagnosed anxiety disorders, meant the global icon had long
been taking a cocktail of prescription drugs he was fully dependent on.
Jackson's continued use of such medications made headlines in 2007 when
a Beverly Hills pharmacy filed a complaint against the singer for not paying
a prescription drug bill dating back to 2005.
A former staffer at Jackson's home
reporting, according to court documents, that the singer would take 30 to 40 Xanax
pills a night. As the concert's rehearsals progressed and the weeks wound down
toward the opening night of 'This Is It'. Michael Jackson complained that he
was feeling fatigued and that he couldn't sleep
between rehearsals. Dr.
Conrad Murray confesses that he had given
the singer infusions of propofol in order to help the performer sleep.
After a poor rehearsal on June 13th, 2009,
Jackson missed the following day's rehearsal on the advice of Murray.
According to Kenny Ortega's testimony, the show director for 'This Is It', AEG was
firm in putting Murray in charge of getting Jackson to rehearsals.
However, Jackson was a no show for another week.
Ortega stated that when Jackson returned to rehearsals on June 19th, he appeared,
quote, lost, cold, afraid, and the show director believed the best
thing to do would be to stop the production, but was torn because he,
quote, did not want to break Michael's heart.
In a series of emails to AEG Live executives, Ortega wrote Jackson was
showing signs of paranoia, anxiety and obsessive disorderlike
behavior and recommended a psychiatrist be brought in to evaluate the star.
At a meeting at Michael Jackson's home
on June 20th, Ortega recounted that Murray believed Jackson was, quote,
physically and emotionally capable of handling all his responsibility as
a performer, and that Murray should be the only one to make such decisions.
After almost a decades break in Jackson's
music and performing, as well as an intense period that sought
to take down his legendary career during his trial for alleged child molestation,
the biggest superstar in the world needed to triumph comeback like no other.
The stakes were as high as ever, and this comeback was simply too big to fail.
The show must go on.
Michael returned to rehearsals on June 23rd, apparently a very different man, quote,
I was overjoyed at his energy, his state of mind, his enthusiasm, Ortega stated.
Dr.
Murray later admitted he had stopped using Propofol to induce sleep for Jackson
for the two previous nights. A sleep expert confirming that a person
can recover quickly from heavy use of the drug.
On June 24th, Jackson left his home around
7:00 p.m. And traveled to the Staples Center in downtown
Los Angeles for what would be his final rehearsal.
Many in attendance recalled the singer as
continuing to be in good shape as he ran through the show.
The rehearsal ended around midnight,
and Jackson hugged his dancers and thanked the crew.
Then the music icon returned home,
where he greeted a small group of fans who had gathered outside his rented mansion.
The sold out shows were scheduled for just
a few weeks, and for the first time, Michael felt positive and on his way
to giving audiences the type of performance he felt they deserved.
On June 25th,
in the early hours of the morning, Michael began complaining of fatigue.
Dr.
Conrad Murray was concerned that Jackson was addicted to Propofol and instead
administered Valium to the singer in order to help him sleep. Throughout the night
Murray said he gave Jackson further doses
of sedatives but no Propofol, even though the singer repeatedly requested it.
Murray gave into Jackson's demand for the drug midmorning on June 25th when
the doctor added Propofol to the singer's intravenous drip.
According to Murray's June 27th interview
with the police, he remained with Jackson for ten minutes before leaving the room.
It is presumed that Michael Jackson was
alone in his bedroom at the time of his death.
While his doctor took a phone call.
Dr. Conrad Murray returned to the room to find
Michael Jackson unresponsive and not breathing. Before calling 911
he attempted to resuscitate Jackson, as did paramedics
when they eventually arrived onto
the scene. At UCLA Medical Center, where the performer was rushed to,
a team of doctors also attempted
resuscitation to no avail and Jackson was officially pronounced dead.
The King of Pop was gone forever.
If you are interested in seeing the public's initial reaction and how
Michael Jackson's death was first reported then we highly recommend you watch our
news compilation documenting this tragic and historic day.
As for Michael Jackson's last words,
there is no clear record of what he said before he passed away.
Some fans have suggested that he may have
said something about his children or his legacy as a musician.
Others have speculated that he may have expressed fear or anxiety about his well
being. Paranoid that people within the industry were out to murder him.
He may have expressed his distress
to Murray that the singer needed to get his sleep so to rehearse prep and perform
at his best. For what would be his ultimate career comeback.
According to some reports, Michael Jackson may have muttered
something unintelligible before he slipped into unconsciousness.
However, according to Dr.
Conrad Murray, Jackson's last words were repeated requests for milk.
Milk being the term Jackson used for propofol, the anesthetic he overdosed
on. The drug resembling the color and consistency of milk,
often nicknamed the milk of amnesia. Giving fans the image of Jackson
in a barely conscious state and glazed look in his eyes
deliriously asking for milk. Like a helpless infant would to his mother,
in his baby mind and in his deep addiction nourishment he so strongly relied on.
Since Murray later went on trial for Jackson's death,
you might question his reliability regarding Jackson's last words.
However, as evidence,
Murray recorded some of Jackson's conversations as proof of his testimony.
Quote just make me sleep.
It doesn't matter what happens.
Jackson directed his physician.
The alleged last sentences
that Michael Jackson said were quote I can't function if I don't sleep.
They'll have to cancel it and I don't want
them to cancel it, but they will have to cancel it.
According to the doctor, quote he was
pleading and begging to please, please let him have some milk,
because that was the only thing that would work, Murray testified.
However, despite Dr.
Conrad Murray's testimony,
the coroner formally declared Michael Jackson's death a homicide, or regicide
technically. He died from drugs and a doctor gave him those drugs.
Murray was therefore convicted and spent
two years in prison for manslaughter, along with losing his medical license.
Many continue to speculate about
the events that led up to the King of Pop's death, with some even believing
that they remain suspicious and claim the artist isn't even dead at all.
Theories we investigate in this video that we have linked below.
Regardless of what he may have said in his final moments, Michael Jackson's death was
a tragic loss for the world of music and entertainment.
His contributions to the industry were enormous and his influence on music
and popular culture will be felt for generations to come.
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Until next time, have a good one.