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Michael Jackson Announcing Summer Residency at London's O2 Arena / Photo: Dave Hogan/Stringer (Getty)
Michael Jackson's Death: The Aftermath
New details about the King of Pop's life -- from his finances to drug use -- surface as the world reacts to his passing.
By William Goodman 06.26.09 10:15 AM
Michael Jackson Announcing Summer Residency at London's O2 Arena / Photo: Dave Hogan/Stringer (Getty)
As the world reacts to Michael Jackson's death, new details surrounding his public image, music, and personal life are coming to light.
RUMORED DRUG USE
Jackson, who was pronounced dead Thursday at 2:26 P.M. PST at Los Angeles' UCLA medical center, is rumored to have abused prescription drugs, specifically Demerol, a form of Morphine [via New York Daily News]. Jackson briefly entered rehab in 1993 and has privately struggled with drugs ever since. In 2007, Jackson settled a lawsuit filed by a Beverly Hills pharmacy, which claimed he owed more than $100,000 for prescription drugs.
Brian Oxman, a former attorney of Jackson's and a family friend, was worried about Jackson's substance use. "I have warned of the use of prescription medication and people who have enabled the use of those medications," Oxman told CBS' Harry Smith. "I do not know how much he has taken, I don't know what his current situation is in the last couple of weeks. Over the last several years I have said to family members that he is overmedicated. I warned everyone, and lo and behold, here we are." [Via CBS]
According to People, Jackson's family attempted an intervention with the singer in 2006 in Las Vegas. "Michael got pissed off," said a source close to the family. "He said he wasn't on drugs. But they didn't believe him."
An autopsy is planned for today, Friday, June 26, but toxicology tests can take several days and sometimes weeks to be completed. If a cause of death can be determined by the autopsy, the results will be announced, said Los Angeles County Coroner Investigator Jerry McKibben.
According to TMZ, Jackson's personal doctor, who lived with the pop star, cannot be found, and his BMW was towed by the LAPD for further investigation following the singer's death last night.
FINANCIAL TROUBLES
In recent years, Jackson has experienced great financial troubles in addition to health concerns. In 2006, he was forced to sell his 2,500-acre Neverland Ranch compound in Santa Barbara, CA, and in death he leaves behind a mountain of debt. According to Billboard, Jackson -- a multi-billion dollar product with endorsements, Disneyland attractions, and high-grossing tours -- died with over $400 million in debt.
Jackson's financial troubles started with public allegations of pedophilia in 1993; Jackson ended a civil suit by settling out of court with a 13-year-old boy and his family for $25 million. In following years he used his assets -- including the rights to half the Beatles' songwriting catalogue -- as collateral to borrow money. He also leaned on friends for cash, including Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the second son of the king of Bahrain, who moved Jackson to the Middle East in 2005 and paid for his expenses.
Meanwhile, the now-canceled 50-concert run Jackson was set to kick off July 8 at London's O2 Arena is leaving concert promotion giant AEG in debt. The shows would have been the highest-grossing concert event ever, and $85 million worth of tickets have already been sold, Billboard reports. Depending on AEG's nonappearance insurance, the company stands to lose upwards of $40 million. According to Yahoo, all tickets purchases will be refunded.
THE INTERNET RESPONDS
In death, as in he was in life, Jackson was a consummate pop culture icon. Yesterday, when news of his death first broke, the number of visitors looking to confirm the rumors crashed Google, one of the world's largest search engines. Social networking site Twitter also crashed, reports The Sun.
But Google and social networking sites weren't the only place Jackson fans were heading. iTunes and Amazon experienced a giant upshot in sales of Jackson's music, with the King of Pop's albums now holding seven of the top ten spots on iTunes, including all of the top five positions. At Amazon, Jackson's music dominates all top 15 positions, reports Billboard.
NEW MJ MUSIC COMING?
According to a report by London's Times Online, more music could be on the way: A secret library of over 100 songs recorded by Jackson may soon be released. Ian Halperin, one of the singer's biographers, claimed that the unheard songs had been made for his three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.
TRIBUTES & VIGILS
To honor Jackson's death, fans are organizing on-the-fly vigils, flocking to New York City's Apollo Theatre, Los Angeles' UCLA Medical Center and Jackson's Holmby Hills home, Detroit's old Motown Headquarters, Hitsville U.S.A., and Jackson's childhood home in Gary, Indiana. The story has dominated TV news and has captivated the world.
"It really is all across the world that there have been tributes... And it is his music that is being remembered. There's so much talk about his life, but it really is the music. It's being played on radio stations everywhere," said Charles Gibson, who co-hosted ABC's Good Morning America on Friday [via NYTimes.com]. "You can't listen to that music without moving a little bit."
the most disgusting thing about this is the scores of "fans" standing around the hospital, apollo, etc., just waiting to get on tv and show their show off for the camera by singing or dancing. it's worse than american idol. who would have thought that was possible?
He's dead his music is old. He destroyed his face. He's broke as everyone else in this world, and now all children in the world are safe from his desire to have sex with them. For all we know he had sex with the three children that lived with him. He couldnt even father his own. The biological mother of the first two children have all legal rights to her children now that the freak is gone. As for the child he named blanket hopefully the real mother will step forward and take her child back. The Jackson's have family problems and need help all of them. These children are not his. Funny boy couldnt father children. Let them go and live a normal life. Making them wear masks PEOPLE wake up this man was a freak. He could sing but that was it. Get over it. The final out come will be a drug overdose.
Jackson used the prescription drugs because he tried to regain form provided for the concert in London in a month, but also it is known that all 40 years of his career, Jackson has been a dependency on prescription drugs.
Jackson used drugs because he was a drug addict. plain and simple. Like any drug addict he was in denial, delusional, a liar and did everything he could to keep from facing the truth. He suffered from the PMs, "Poor Michael"-- He was a professional victim. He's been a dead man walking for decades. He is finally being laid to rest.
FREAK or NOT it is still an American Icon that has been lost. Yes, he was in a sense his own worst enemy. But who are we to judge? People should stop talking and LISTEN to the MUSIC.Every thing else does not matter now. That's between him and the other side. If you don't want to LISTEN then STOP! Give the Jackson Family and the Fans time to grieve. This is my generation's Elvis. And YES he was a Fantastic SINGER,DANCER,DREAMER, and ALL AROUND MUSICIAN. GENIUS COMES WITH A PRICE, look at Mozart... Let him Rest in Peace.
There is a lesson lost if one glosses over his drug abuse. His music will always stand as testament to his talent. Denial by the family and public of his addictions and out of control behavior contributed to his sad premature end and is of no help to those who currently suffer from addicitons. Not all geniuses get lost in addiction. Not all addicts are geniuses.
"There is a lesson lost if one glosses over his drug abuse. His music will always stand as testament to his talent. Denial by the family and public of his addictions and out of control behavior contributed to his sad premature end and is of no help to those who currently suffer from addicitons. Not all geniuses get lost in addiction. Not all addicts are geniuses."
Very good comment. Admitting what went wrong will never take away fom all that amazing talent. You can truly still appreciate the amazing music he gave us. I appreciate him all the more learning what he might have been going through.
Let Micheal rest in peace. He is a very good singer and dancers. We in Jamaica miss him badly, even my son cries out his name in his sleep the night Micheal died. Micheal, may THE KING OF POP live on continuallly in our hearts. To all you critics "DONT HATE THE PLAYER, HATE THE GAME."
He was a pedafile! Stop acting like he did nothing wrong, the only sad thing here is that he did not die in prison. Like the prison I am sure those little boys will be in for the rest of their lives, mentally unless they seek psychiatric help. I feel bad for his children but thats it.
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