Chapter 22 - Gone too soon
June 25 Halima receives a call from Larry King asking them if they know anything about Michael's condition. Jermaine calls Katherine as he hears she's leaving the house for hospital, Halima and Jermaine drives to the hospital as well. Joel Katz calls Jermaine on the way and says that it's bad. Janet calls Jermaine panicked. Katherine calls Jermaine and says that Michael is dead. Jermaine arrives to the hospital, finds Katherine alone in a room. sees Latoya and Randy. Randy is saying "someone did this". Jermaine goes to see Michael's body. Can't believe how skeletal he was, like half the size he was a month ago. He caresses Michael's hand, kisses his forehead. MJ's kids come with a nurse and Jermaine says what they said and did should remain private between them and their father.
Jermaine sees Randy Phillips, Dileo and Tohme. Someone walks up to Jermaine and wants him to read the statement. Attorneys and medical staff feels it's appropriate if the statement comes from family. Reads the statement. Goes back to where Katherine was. Murray comes in and offers his condolences.
Jermaine later learns that Murray has been in Michael's life long before TII.
"He was apparently first called out in Vegas to treat Paris for something, and Michael retained him soon afterward. At Michael’s request, he was hired by AEG for the tour. I don’t know what, if any, checks they did in regard to his suitability, but by having him on their payroll, they were, in my opinion, responsible for his duty of care to their artist. Not to mention the doctor’s own responsibilities under the Hippocratic Oath."
Carolwood Katherine, Janet and Latoya goes. "In fact, La Toya’s boyfriend Jeffre Phillips stayed at the house overnight by himself for two weeks, presumably as a presence to guard against vultures."
"The autopsy report ruled that Michael had had a healthy heart and had died from “acute Propofol intoxication” with no other factor related to the immediate cause of death. The media would go on to falsely portray him as a “junkie,” trying to make the link with prescription pill usage but that, and drugs like Demerol, was not the reason why his heart stopped. What was clear is that the anesthetic Propofol was everywhere in his system. I didn’t even know what “Propofol” was but I’ve since learned that it is not a recreational drug and it was no prescription medicine. Propofol is what people are given intravenously as an anesthetic before major surgery, or doctors use it for sedation. This, I would find out, is what Michael relied on to be knocked out when desperate for sleep, but it should be given only by a trained anesthesiologist and its intake should be carefully monitored with the appropriate medical equipment in place. Michael was usually beset by sleeping problems only on tour so it was, to the best of my knowledge, a departure for him to be using this kind of sleep-inducer during rehearsals. It’s also worth noting that the last time Michael would have needed something like Propofol would have been his last tour, “HIStory,” in 1996. It didn’t surprise me that his insomnia was returning in the run-up to his London dates because of the unimaginable pressure, most of it self-imposed. He was his own biggest competition in the relentless drive to be perfect within the great comeback he’d envisioned."
The below is what Jermaine discovered:
-Michael went from 150-155 to 136 lbs.
- TII is a clever edit.
- start of june michael focused and business like. He wasn't "on fire" but he always held back so this was normal.
- tour opening pushing had nothing to do with health. Michael wanted to rehearse at O2 and not at wembley.
- insomnia starting
- michael told people that he would have a word and change / arrange the workload.
- some people working on TII were chosen over the people Michael worked with / wanted to work with and Michael wasn't happy with it but he said he will make changes when we went to UK.
- Michael's strategy was to do 10 concerts and renegotiate the 40 concerts using the media and public interest. Jermaine says this is the reason why Michael seemed laid back , little input to discussing the concerts. He was waiting for the right time to take over the control.
- Michael not happy with AEG bringing in Dileo and Branca. Jermaine assumes AEG needed handling of Michael and they brought it people that knew Michael.
- Dileo after he comes , keeps people informed on a need to know basis. Protective on Frank's mind but other people around are unease as they think Michael is under control of someone.
- Mid June Michael's health detoriating. He's missing rehearsals or coming in late. His security increased from 2 people to 10 people.
- June 17 he's like a ghost.
- He's making mistakes in dance routines. repeating sentences or words like he has OCD. struggles to finish songs, need teleprompter for lyrics. need help up and down the ramps/stairs.
- inner circle gets worried. "In fairness to AEG, maybe its people didn’t observe the same signs as those with a closer proximity? But, even if that was the case, people would still sound the alarm bells to those in authority to actually do something to help."
- Paris : Daddy was always cold. Karen Faye realized this as well. Michael made a phonecall to a nurse about one half of his body being cold and other half being hot.
- patience running out with michael's absense and being late. Jermaine thinks AEG thought it was due to drug dependency.
- Michael being treated badly, belittling.
- thinner he becomes he colder he gets. 3 layers of clothing while others are baking. june 19 michael was like block of ice to the touch.
- someone calls one of Michael's old doctors and tells the symptoms "“toxic poisoning of the brain” and take him to hospital. AEG doesn't know this call, still Michael chose not to go to hospital.
- murray isn't giving any sense of emergency. after michael sent home on june 19, murray sends a fax to AEG saying that Michael needs 2 days of rest.
- michael acting brave and do not want anyone to think something is wrong.
- closest to Michael : Karen , Bush and Thompson frantic with worry asking for a person with authority to intervene.
- final week. Michael is being taken out of rehearsal space with his arms around bodyguards shoulders - like he collapsed or weak to stand.
- no one called Jacksons. and Jermaine says the responsibility for it was at AEG.
- Jermaine says although the investigation focused on the events on June 25, something was wrong long before.
- Ortega seemed to be the only one that cared. sending him to rest, feeding him, rubbing his feet.
- June 18 , 20 meetings. Riot act. AEG should have cancelled the concerts but they didn't. Michael if didn't do the concerts would lose his catalog.
- Follower fans emailing Karen.
- Michael Bearden asking the staff to pray for Michael
- Last 2 days everthing changes. Michael is upbeat and sharp. other than weight loss, there was no sign of anything being wrong in those 2 days.
- Michael was scheduled to work on his vocals the following days.
- Leaves around 12:30, was supposed to make a diversion and visit Tohme to sign the papers for the new Las Vegas home. Jermaine doesn't know if Michael made a stop at Tohme's or went straight home.
- Murray , trying to sleep. Murray on the phone. Murray's girlfriend hearing a commotion. Security footage is only limited to 4 minutes, rest is erased. why?
- Hope the justice doesn't fail Michael.
Epilogue - Smile
Memorial. Ambitious plans such as Washington Monument. Katherine wanting something private. they find the middle ground. private JW viewing before the public memorial. AEG offer Staples Center. They accept without knowing what went on at rehearsals. Family plan it at Theather at Hayvenhurst. One moment they hug each other, Joe says stop you're going to make me cry. Jermaine wants Michael to be burried at Neverland in a area close to train station. Katherine rejects it as Michael said he never wanted to go back there. Jermaine still thinks Neverland is where Michael should be. Kingdom Hall private service ended with Paris's request of listening to Michael sing "Gone to soon". Staples center. How the brothers were pallbearers. Before TII concerts Michael had planned to take his children to Switzerland to visit Chaplin house. Jacksons decided that none of them would perform but Jermaine wants to sing "Smile", Katherine says do it. Jermaine is good at rehearsal, had a hard time during performance. Private burial. Katherine needed to feel close to Michael her own way so she went back to Gary to the old house and stayed there for a month. As people started to stop by Gary house they got it fixed and painted. January 2011 Jermaine and Halima goes to Senegal. Non English speaking village. they know Michael. Jermaine starts writing the book 2 weeks after that so that the world can understand who Michael is, his legacy and his life.
The End
*I'll write my personal review tomorrow*
