Michael Jackson has been hitting headlines this year a decade on from his death with the release of the controversial documentary Leaving Neverland.
What happened on the day of Michael Jackson’s death?
Michael Jackson had been rehearsing past midnight on the night of Wednesday, 24 June 2009, as part of the preparations for a series of much-hyped comeback shows at London’s O2 Arena after years out of the public eye.
According to Jackson’s personal physician Conrad Murray, he attended to the singer in the bedroom of his home in the Holmby Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles following his return just after 1.00am.
Over the course of the next few hours, Murray said he administered a series of drugs in an attempt to help the singer to sleep, alleging that Jackson said at one point: “Just make me sleep, no matter what”.
Many later attested to the singer’s addiction to painkillers, which was said to have lasted decades, with accounts stating that he referred to the drugs as “milk”.(inews)
The documentary traces Jackson's rise as the King of Pop, from growing up in Gary, Indiana, and his Jackson 5 days through to his comeback concerts and untimely death. The clip opens with a montage of Jackson's fast-paced life, with footage of him onstage and being hounded by paparazzi. "The star needs some space, give him a chance to relax," Jackson says. "He has a heart. He is human. Let him have a bed, a pillow. What more can I give?"
The Last Days of Michael Jackson will air on Thursday, May 24 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
The clip includes his sister Janet Jackson reflecting on the loss of her brother. Others in his circle also discuss the drugs that were administered to the singer leading up to his final days.
Prior to his death, Jackson announced his final tour, but 18 days before the first date, Jackson died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009. The coroner ruled that Jackson died of "acute Propofol intoxication."
