So unless you've had your head buried in the sand over the past month (or in the Big Brother house), you will know that Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest on the 25th June 2009. He was 50 years old. What gave more of an impact to Jackson's death was the fact that it happened just weeks before he was due to perform 50 gigs at his last ever tour, ironically called 'This Is It'. Jackson had called it his 'final curtain call', but this arrived sooner than everyone had anticipated.
Becoming obsessed with his untimely death after reading every last piece of information I could get my hands on, writing about it myself was the only way I could allow myself to be satisfied with his story.
The simple outline of what happened is like this; Michael Jackson collapsed at home in his rented mansion in the hills of LA. Paramedics were called on the emergency line at 12.22pm by a Jackson employee. (In my head this raises suspicion, as the identity of whoever made the call is still not clear). His personal doctor was present and unsuccessfully attempted resuscitation. Jackson was pronounced dead at about 2.26pm local time at the UCLA hospital in Los Angeles and his brother Jermaine Jackson officially announced the tragic news to the rest of the world. Astonishingly, it was TMZ, an online celebrity gossip page, who reported it first.
Naturally with Jackson's high celebrity status, there was to be thorough investigation. But a dark cloud now lingers over Michael Jackson's death as things don't seem to add up and people are starting to play the blame game; who's fault was it?
In the earlier days of Michael's death, many speculated that the tour itself could be to blame, as he was described to look 'frail' and 'weak' due to exhaustion from his rehearsals. With Michael's age, this theory of innocence could have made sense if it wasn't for the suspicion that drugs may have been the reason that rapidly leaked into the media.
A raft of friends and employees have come forward since the death to give details about Jackson's addiction to painkillers that some say may have lasted for as long as 20 years. In addition to this, Michael's personal doctor, Dr Conrad Murray, told police of a cabinet in Jackson's home where many highly powerful drugs could be found. A nurse employed by Jackson has also come forward to reveal that he pleaded with her for Propofol, a dangerous anaesthetic, saying he needed it to sleep. That tallies with a report from the TMZ website that the drug, brand name 'Diprivan', was found at his house after he died and is now said to be the primary cause of death. So was it simply an accidental overdose of an addict? A seemingly typical way for a musical legend with a drug addiction to die. Or is that just part of the truth used to cover up the rest of the story?
Always wanting to be the best that he could be for his fans, it has been suggested that perhaps Jackson knew that he was too old and unable to go through with the tremendous amount of gigs lined up for his tour and was terrified of letting anyone down. After all, he had been in the limelight from such a young age and all he knew was fame. How could he cope with failing? Suicide then, cleverly covered up with drug abuse stories and the use of Propofol, would be the best way out. Maybe even assisted suicide, with the help of Dr Conrad Murray. He did disappear after Jackson's death; strange behaviour for someone who has a clear conscience. Or is there more to it?
The doctor's role in this story is slightly hazy at the moment because of the difference in reports that newspapers and online sources are giving. At the beginning, Dr Conrad Murray was 'not a suspect', but the latest updates are pointing towards the idea that police believe he actually administrated the drug Propofol that allegedly killed Michael Jackson. After a search warrant was issued to find any evidence of manslaughter, it has been revealed that Dr Conrad Murray gave Jackson an IV drip of the powerful anesthesia. But TMZ claims that, according to multiple law enforcement sources, Murray told the police this himself, just two days after Jackson's death. Why then, was this not mentioned or even taken into account earlier? Something must not be right.
An IV drip of Propofol allows a constant, steady infusion of the drug for a period of time determined by the person administering it. It is considered reckless in the medical community for a doctor to administer an IV drip of Propofol without the patient being monitored by an EKG, which sounds an alarm when the patient's pulse drops too low. No EKG was found in the house. Another device, known as a pulse oximeter, is used to determine the oxygen saturation in the patient's blood. If the patient's breathing slows to a dangerous level, an alarm alerts the treating physician. Again, no oximeter was found in the house. So what now? Is this a case of gross negligence? And what does this mean in American law?
Nothing can be confirmed until the toxicology report is completed next week. This report will reveal which drug is the primary cause of Michael Jackson's death, even though Propofol has already been named by many sources. If this is confirmed, Dr Conrad Murray will most likely be facing charges for manslaughter. But until then, the story continues.
It saddens me to think that Michael Jackson still suffers. The media never let us to forget that his life was never straight forward and it seems that his death isn't going to be any easier. Yet I do believe that his day will come when all of this controversy and scandal will buried for good and the King of Pop can finally rest in peace.
