The shocking details surrounding Michael Jackson’s death

As a reminder of Michael Jackson’s overwhelming influence on the music industry, it’s been over a decade and we can’t stop thinking about his untimely demise. Each passing year without the “King of Pop” brings memories of his time on stage – they also bring shocking details surrounding Michael Jackson’s death. 

Now passing the eleventh anniversary of his death, Michael Jackson’s final moments are as strange and convoluted as ever before. An unsettling trend amongst celebrity superstars, it’s incredible how bad things can go for someone appearing to have it all. 

Michael Jackson’s death shocks the world

Michael Jackson’s death in 2009 stunned the world. Only at age fifty, Jackson still spent his time touring and belting out his greatest hits. The performer was remembered for popularizing moves like the moonwalk and his “impossible” lean.  Jackson’s agility convinced fans he still had a long way to go.

In fact, between summer 2009 & spring 2010, Jackson was slated to put on his “This Is It” tour. Fans were in for a sad awakening when Jackson died two weeks before the concerts were to take place. Just like that, fifty shows for the fifty-year-old performer were canceled; Fans pleaded to know what went wrong. 

Michael Jackson: A memory preserved

Before the public could narrow focus on the details of Jackson’s shocking death, there was still the matter of his funeral. Held on September 3, 2009, Jackson’s funeral was more of an extravagant multi-media event. Filled with high-profile celebrities among its near-20,000 attendees, Jackson’s funeral was broadcast to audiences worldwide.

According to The Sun, Jackson was buried in a coffin made of gold, and covered in blocks of concrete – a measure his family hoped would keep his body safe. Buried in “full stage costume,” Jackson’s brother, Marlon, stated, “This will be Michael’s final curtain call – the last show. His shell will be gone but his spirit lives on.”

Now in the fallout of Jackson’s shocking death, there were many details still looming over the case. Jackson was found dead of reported cardiac arrest, which was later identified as a result of a dangerous cocktail of prescribed medications. Why was Jackson taking these meds? Who prescribed them? How did he exist in his final days? 

Michael Jackson’s death: The shocking details

It would take a couple of years for some of these questions to be fully answered and proven in a court of law. The shocking news released in 2011 was the involuntary manslaughter charges pressed against Dr. Conrad Murray. At the time, the New York Times described Jackson’s final days as a “deprived haze of medication and misery.”

A jury found Dr. Murray guilty of allowing Jackson to abuse his services, acting as a personal pharmaceutical dispensary to the pop-star. Murray admitted the singer had insomnia tendencies, and begged for strong medications to help him sleep and prepare for his tour schedules. 

Conrad Murray prescribed a powerful drug that unintentionally played a fatal role in the singer’s final moments – propofol, a strong surgical anesthetic. Mixed with whatever else was in Jackson’s system led to his death. But even this settled court case did not bring about all the shocking details surrounding Jackson’s final days. 

New details surrounding Jackson’s death

It took a bit longer for the full, disturbing picture of Jackson’s turmoil to come to light. More details surfaced from Murray about the combination of drugs which may have pushed Jackson’s heart over the edge. Besides propofol, there was one other notable drug in Jackson’s system which seemed frivolous at the time – Flomax. 

Dr. Murray attested Jackson did in fact have some undisclosed medical issues. The singer was taking Flomax, a brand-name of tamsulosin – a medication used to treat prostate enlargement. Murray claimed Flomax helped Jackson use the bathroom, and even alleged Jackson “was also incontinent and would constantly leak urine.”

Not the condition adoring fans would want to imagine for their beloved musician, Murray even suggested the shame from Jackson’s urinary troubled was why “Jackson always wore black trousers,” according to the Mirror. 

In a statement to the Mail on Sunday in 2013, Murray disclosed, “You want to know how close Michael and I were? I held his penis every night.” Dr. Murray was referring to putting a condom-catheter on Jackson when he went to sleep to prevent the singer from wetting his bed. 

Michael Jackson’s shocking state of decay

As if this news wasn’t upsetting enough about Jackson’s deteriorating – but hidden – health issues, there was more to come. Murray even claimed Jackson’s iconic white socks were worn to hide a pair of feet that had been deformed by agonizing calluses and a fungal infection. In such poor condition, Murray suggested they looked as though they were rotting.

One would expect a nonstop singer-dancer to have some sensitive feet, but this was beyond unhealthy. But Murray claimed Jackson was so reclusive, he refused to be treated or even seen by doctors. Jackson reportedly developed a painkiller addiction in lieu of seeking treatment – another toxic cherry atop his dose of chemical cocktails. 

Murray served four years in prison despite maintaining his innocence in Jackson’s death – he even wrote an autobiography in 2016. Murray claimed Jackson swore him to secrecy, and allegedly told Murray he was given undocumented hormone injections as a teenager. 

Michael Jackson: A legend remembered

Whether or not Conrad Murray was to share all the blame, he reported Michael’s deterioration was a sign “not only had he neglected himself but those around him were not keeping a close eye on his well being.” Either way, Murray’s admissions released a well-spring of new information. 

Years went by and even more secrets spilled out. Close friends of Jackson reporting his high-pitch voice was all an act. According to celebrity friends Liza Minnelli & David Gest, Jackson’s soft voice was not “the real him.” Rumors even alleged Jackson’s father forced him to get a chemical-castration at age thirteen.

Separating man from myth isn’t an easy, especially with the details we now know surrounding Jackson’s shocking death all those years ago. Jackson’s final days will always account for tragedy, but he’ll live-on for decades more thanks to his timeless contributions to the world of music and pop-culture.