Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Who Killed Michael Jackson? By Noah Van Chau



            If you are looking for a Thriller match the death of an icon with a crooked doctor, hating record label and mysterious illegal drug and you will have a story you cannot Beat. It was unknown and unexpected to the world, but did Jackson see it coming? His family along with millions of his fans all want to know the truth but it is hard to come by. Let’s examine his secretive record label and the doctor blamed for it all, to find the reason for Michael Jackson’s demise.
         Who does not know the song “Thriller?” It is simple, nobody, and if you know Thriller you know the guy who sings it is Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson was celebrity of his era and even still throughout the new generation. Jackson’s “Thriller” was the biggest selling album of all time with forty-seven million copies sold (Huddleston 1). He also is the fifth highest-selling artist with eighty-one million units sold over his career and still today (1). With all these outstanding accomplishments there is no doubt that Michael Jackson is one of the most famous entertainers to ever walk this planet. Even still to this day his songs are on the radio and millions still enjoy listening to “The King of Pop” (Winfrey). Not only was he considered one of the best to ever sing, but he was also known for his amazing dance moves. The famous “Moonwalk” that he created was made one of the most well-known dance moves ever, do to his fame across the world. It takes an amazing amount of skill and very few talented people could recreate his signature dance exactly how he did. There is such an appreciation for his impact on pop music that after he had passed away people would get plastic surgery and dress like him and impersonate his songs as their own career (Bassett 1). The amount of dedication and support his fans had was insane, and even if you were not a fan you still knew him. Pretty much all his concerts were sold out even at a young age (Winfrey). He started his journey to fame at five years old, where he sang alongside his brothers. They were called the Jackson 5. So, obviously, Jackson was destined for popularity ever since a young age. Now Jackson’s legacy lives on, and it does not seem to be slowing down and it is hard to tell if it will ever go away. It is undeniable that Michael Jackson is one of the most famous, talented singers ever.
                        Michael[NVC1]  Jackson was a mysterious celebrity. As a kid, Michael Jackson grew up with four older brothers, and at a young age his dad was pushing him to perform music with them. Joseph Jackson, Michael’s dad, was very hard on his kids and was known to be violent (Winfrey).With Michael’s rough upbringing and work for such a young age he never really learned to grow up. He said in his interview with Oprah, “I would do my schooling which was three hours then right after that I would go to the recording studio and record and record until it was night.” Also in his interview with Oprah he said he was never able to have friends and felt lonely a lot of the time (Winfrey). He would pass a park every day on the way to the studio, and cry because all he wanted to do was be a kid. So, when he became an adult, he surrounded himself with children because he said they brought the joy that he wanted as a kid.
           One of the things that Michael Jackson created was his Neverland Ranch. This was what he considered his “fantasy retreat,” because he was known for being “A shy and quiet performer who never was truly comfortable with media attention and rarely gave interviews.” (Michael).
                 Michael Jackson, being such a quiet person to the media, when it came out the Michael had child molestation allegations many people were confused, and it changed their image of who they saw Jackson as a person. Michael Jackson was accused of sexually assaulting children at his Neverland Ranch. However, the next year Michael came out of the case as innocent. Jackson was even charged again this time with more evidence although he was found not guilty at all. It almost seemed as if his fame and the people around him trusted him so much to where when incidents like this happened no one thought anything of it. With these allegations and the odd Neverland Ranch, Michael was starting to become very mysterious to the media and his decisions were watched closely and questioned even more. Along with that, “Since his accident filming the Pepsi commercial in 1984, Jackson had become more and more dependent on these drugs, to a point of chronic addiction.” (Richards 82). This was a turning point in Michael’s career. He had no choice but to undergo surgery to fix his injuries. The new drugs being his go to painkillers, ultimately lead to an addiction. Although at the time no one knew that he was highly addicted to painkillers which would eventually lead to his mysterious death. Around this time he was undergoing a disease called vitiligo. Jackson was assigned a doctor named Dr. Klein whose job was to treat Jackson’s disease. “He was also the physician who prescribed Benoquin to Jackson, a cream that bleached Jackson’s skin.” (Richards 82). The effect of Jackson’s new look had on the media was not good. Rumors were starting to say that it was because he wanted to be white which was not the case at all. At the time though, no one knew because he never publicly came out and said it was due to his disease. This was what made Michael Jackson so suspect later into his career. There always was some sort of false rumor going around. Later Michael Jackson did his first interview ever with Oprah Winfrey where he had cleared up most of his secrets and some of the rumors that the media said to be true. Every rumor Oprah had stated he immediately denied but we will never know if he was lying or if it was the truth due to his absence of fame off stage. Overall, I would say the most mysterious part about Michael Jackson was his death. Especially for the people at the time because the only thing they knew was that he died of a heart attack due to drug overdose. Which left people wondering why he would risk his life with drugs if he was on top of the world. It was actually said to be his doctor’s fault after further investigation. It was not until two years after that Jackson’s doctor, Dr. Murray was tried for giving him a lethal dose of Propofol. This incident left the case of Michael Jackson always remembered as a mystery. His fans still to this day are unsure what to believe, even to an extent that there is a chance he is still alive and just hiding away from the media. Due to his past and knowing how he got by as much media as possible it could be true.
                        Lastly, Michael Jackson was also very misunderstood. He was known for being suspect for always wanting to be around kids although most of what he said in Oprah's interview made sense. In the interview Jackson passionately explained his view of childhood:
“I remember going to the recording studio, and there was a park across the street, and I'd see all the children playing and I would cry. It would make me sad that I would have to go to work instead," he said. "People wonder why I always have children around. It's because I find the thing that I never had through them. Disneyland, amusement parks, arcade games—I adore all that stuff because when I was little, it was always work, work, work." (Winfrey 1)
                 His love for kids is due to his lack of a childhood and his Neverland Ranch is where he finds his inner kid. Although people just look at him for his negative allegations. During the interview he also talked a lot about his faith in God and how he thinks kids are the purest form of a human being. This which he related to The Bible, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Bible). Jackson’s reasons for why he liked associating with children makes sense. It is almost like he wants to give the children the childhood he never had. Michael Jackson was also very misunderstood for his skin color. When he started going through his vitiligo, he changed his skin tone to balance out the blotches of white so that it was just all the same color. However, people saw it as him trying to appear white. This was completely wrong, and he expressed that in his famous interview with Oprah. Jackson’s misunderstood personality is mostly due to the fact that people would make up a rumor then that rumor would get carried through the media to a point where it seems true. Luckily, Jackson cleared up all his bad reputation and false accusations in his interview with Oprah.
            The[VCN2]  death of Michael Jackson was always questioned and there are many conspiracies behind how it happened or if it even happened at all. The first conspiracy is that Michael Jackson is still alive. His fans had already doubted if he was really dead because it was so hard to believe (Earls 1). In 2018, Michael Jackson’s stylist posted a tweet with a picture of “Michael,” wearing his trademark outfit, and a caption saying, “In a recording studio, somewhere in the world, in an undisclosed location, he’s coming soon…” (McMahon 1). Many of Michael Jackson fans took this seriously, and they are sure he is alive. However, we have no idea if Michael’s stylist was lying to steal some of the singer’s fame, or if he really was with Jackson in the photo. Jackson hiding away from all society would make sense because he was shy when it came to media and was probably fed up with all of the constant begging of reporters to get an interview.
              The day of his death was supposedly a set up meant to trick the media (Livingstone 1). Also, along with the conspiracy, there are people who think Jackson faked his death to avoid debt. “When he died, Jackson was between $400 million and $500 million in debt.” (Wynne 1). This also makes sense because Michael’s after death earnings were over a billion dollars, so he would have been well over with that and easily able to pay. Therefore, Michael Jackson faking his death to live a debt free and peaceful life in theory makes sense.
              The second conspiracy is that AEG, Michael Jackson’s record label, had intentions to kill Jackson. Considering AEG hired the suspicious doctor who ended up overmedicating Jackson, leaves AEG looking very suspect since it was their doctor who was guilty. Also, as soon as Jackson’s health started to decrease, “AEG dropped its claim Monday for a $17.5 million insurance policy for Michael Jackson, just days after e-mails revealed the concert promoter had doubts about Jackson's health at the time they were applying for the insurance” (Duke 1). The fact that his label, who was supposed to be close like a family, dropped his insurance as soon as he became unhealthy is extremely suspicious. Why else would they drop their insurance coincidentally right before his death? Probably because AEG knew it was coming.
               These conspiracies are similar in the way that they both have to do with the mysterious death of Michael Jackson. Although they do not fully connect, it is possible one could be true due to just how mysterious his death was when it happened and the events that occurred afterwards. Michael Jackson’s death was not a suicide and it had to have been planned because it was right before his Farwell Tour. Others believe that he is still alive and there are many reasons to prove it. These theories are believed by mostly by Michael’s fans. In fact, 60% of students polled at Clear Spring High School believed that Michael Jackson was still alive, and the rest did not believe that his death was caused by a suicide.
How did Michael Jackson actually die? Was it his fault for his overdose, was it the doctor’s fault for knowingly prescribing he medication, or was it AEG Michael’s record label to blame for hiring the doctor? AEG should be the ones to blame, they hired the cardiologist who prescribed Jackson pills out of his professional realm, and they were proven guilty in court by Jackson’s son. However, the doctor was the one blamed and sentenced to prison, when AEG was the reason behind the factors leading to Michael’s death.



Works Cited
Bassett, J. (2017, June 20). What it's like being the 'world's number one' Michael Jackson impersonator. Retrieved from https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/michael-jackson-    impersonator-searching-for-neverland-2090620
Bibles Luke 18:15-17, Zondervan. Holy Bible-NIV. 2015.
Duke, A. (2012, September 11). AEG drops Michael Jackson insurance claim. Retrieved              fromhttps://www.cnn.com/2012/09/10/showbiz/michael-jackson-     insurance/index.htmlMcMahon, J. (2019, June 24).
Earls, J. (2016, September 5). Michael Jackson fans believe he's still alive. Retrieved from            https://www.nme.com/news/music/michael-jackson-2-1203339
Huddleston, Tom Jr. "Michael Jackson's Iconic 'Thriller' is 36 Today ? and It's Still the World's    Best-selling Album." CNBC, 30 Nov. 2018, www.cnbc.com/2018/11/30/michael-          jacksons-thriller-anniversary-still-all-time-best-seller.html.
Livingstone, G. (2019, March 11). With Michael Jackson, It's Different. Retrieved from            https://newrepublic.com/article/153270/michael-jackson-its-different
McMahon, J. The Fans Who Refuse to Believe Michael Jackson Is Dead. Retrieved from             https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/paj8ev/michael-jackson-still-alive-                   conspiracy-theory
Richards, Matt, and Mark Langthorne. 83 Minutes: the Doctor, the Damage, and the Shocking                   Death of Michael Jackson. Thomas Dunne Books, 2016.
Winfrey, Oprah. “The Michael Jackson Interview: Oprah Reflects.” Oprah.com, 16 Sept. 2009,               www.oprah.com/entertainment/oprah-reflects-on-her-interview-with-michael-jackson/all.
Wynne, K. (2019, March 3). Did Michael Jackson die in debt? Here's how much he owed             in2009. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/was-michael-jackson-debt-he-died-    look-king-pops-finances-1349255
 Image result for Michael jackson propofol 
 Image result for Michael jackson propofol



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