Throng

Wednesday 27th January 8.00pm

Documentary exploring the final days of controversial pop star Michael Jackson. A host of friends, employees and reporters help shed light on the singer’s tragic death at the age of 50 in June 2009. The programme also examines Michael Jackson’s unusual childhood, flamboyant career and the allegations that dogged his later years.

On 25 June 2009 the world learned of Michael Jackson’s death at his Los Angeles home. As fans paid their respects, detectives began to unpick the events leading up to the King of Pop’s passing.

Michael Jackson’s death was all the more shocking coming on the eve of his 50-gig stint at the 02 Arena in London. These performances were intended to serve as Jackson’s long-awaited comeback – and alleviate the financial problems that had threatened to bankrupt the singer. “The deal promised to rescue Michael Jackson from the financial morass he had gotten himself into,” says reporter Diane Dimond.

However, Jackson was apparently furious to learn that he was contracted to perform 50 dates – 40 more than initially planned. “At 50 years old, it was unthinkable,” says family friend Leonard Rowe. The concert promoters insist that Jackson would have performed on average just two and a quarter shows a week. Yet it was clear that his body was struggling to cope with the demands of rehearsals. He insisted on being given an anaesthetic to help him sleep. “It’s a very safe medication used in a hospital setting, but you don’t want to do this at home,” says Jackson’s former nurse, Cherilyn Lee.

Prior to his 02 gigs, Jackson hired Dr Conrad Murray to manage his medical needs. On the day before his death, Jackson was seen conferring with the physician. “An aide heard Michael saying, ‘I’m ready to go to sleep’,” says journalist Ian Halperin. On June 25, Jackson was found not breathing and Murray summoned help. Staff gathered as paramedics rushed the singer to hospital. “We all held hands. We started praying, ‘Dear God, please don’t let anything happen to Mr Jackson’,” recalls chef Kai Chase. The King of Pop was declared dead shortly after at the UCLA Medical Center.

In the aftermath of this shocking event, police reported finding drugs in Jackson’s home, some of them prescribed to aliases and some to members of staff without their knowledge – including Kai Chase. “I lost it. That really made me feel used,” she says. The Jackson family appeared to take the view that someone had caused Michael’s death. Yet friends and supporters admit that the star had a history of drug abuse and dependency.

In January 1984, Jackson suffered severe burns while filming a commercial. “They tried to do skin grafts, hair transplants, but when you have a scar like that, there’s not much you can do,” says his manager Frank DiLeo. In the wake of this accident, the singer became hooked on painkillers. Some observers believe what started as an overdependency became a full-blown addiction after he was accused of child molestation in 1993.

By the time of Jackson’s trial in 2005, the King of Pop was clearly frail. “We saw a very embattled and beaten up Michael Jackson during that trial,” says biographer Stacy Brown. Diane Dimond cites sources that claim Jackson was taking up to 50 pills a day. This addiction, coupled with immune disorders and anorexia, alarmed the Jackson family.

The events of 25 June 2009 remain unclear to many of Jackson’s followers. Observers wonder how much time elapsed before an ambulance was called. They question why a security guard, and not Dr Murray, called 911, and why Jackson was on a bed and not on the floor as standard CPR procedure dictates. “The whole situation surrounding Michael’s death is very suspicious,” says Leonard Rowe. On 24 August 2009, police declared the case a suspected homicide. No charges have yet been brought and the investigation is ongoing.