First Joe Jackson wanted Michael’s will thrown out.
Then he wanted an allowance from the executors.
Now he’s saying that the will is fake, and that Michael’s executor, John Branca, is a bad guy who should be removed. Jackson is using Brian Oxman, the attorney who claimed in a lawsuit that Michael owed him $1.25 million, and who was fired by Thomas Mesereau from the defense team in Michael’s 2005 trial because he was sleeping in open court.
Jackson senior doesn’t seem to get it, but I do since I was there. Michael fired Branca as his attorney in February 2003 after the uproar over the “Living with Michael Jackson” documentary. Jackson took his business to a guy named David LeGrand, who was the choice of Michael’s business partner at the time, Marc Schaffel. It was more or less the beginning of the end for Michael, his slide into legal oblivion. After LeGrand, Jackson fell into the clutches of the Nation of Islam, followed by a series of lawyers and managers. It wasn’t until right before he died last June that he re-hired Branca in an effort to right his sinking ship.
To say Joe Jackson doesn’t know what he’s talking about is an understatement. He’s also accusing Branca of trying to harm Alvin Malnik, Jackson’s confidant and co-manager from 2001 through 2003, with the Justice Department. Malnik, who tried everything to keep Michael out of trouble until he was replaced by the Nation of Islam, actually worked with Branca to keep Michael afloat during that perilous time. Of course, Joe Jackson would actually know none of this because he had little to no contact with Michael and no knowledge of his business affairs.
The ironic part of all this is that there would be no estate to fight over if it weren’t for John Branca. I’m not suggesting that he’s a saint. But it was Branca who engineered the deal for the Beatles catalog in the first place. Then he parlayed Michael’s ownership of it into the creation of Sony/ATV Music Publishing and reaped Michael $90 million cash. With that money and the catalog as collateral, Branca kept Jackson afloat financially until 2003, when the second wave of child molestation charges came through.
Meanwhile, Joe Jackson has an uphill battle. Because even if he could prove the 2002 will is invalid, the will that preceded it was just the same, only it named Branca as the sole executor. Either way, Joe Jackson will not be able to get his greedy paws on Michael’s fortune. If this were “Lord of the Rings,” Jackson would be Gollum.
Hopefully, Judge Mitchell Beckloff will see through Joe Jackson’s latest grasping for Michael’s money, and bring this to an end.
November 10th, 2009 at 7:43 am
As someone on the outside looking in, I find this to be quite disheartening to say the least. I would hate to believe that Joe Jackson has become so calloused that all he can think of is his dead son’s estate. YOUR SON IS DEAD!!! I would rather believe that the shock of his son’s death is so great that he can’t think straight. I am not a parent, but, I can’t imagine the horror of a parent having to bury their child (famous or not). On another note, I noticed that many responders to these articles tend to be somewhat knowledgable of MJ’s history. With that being said, can anyone shed light on what happen to MJ between his ‘Bad’ and ‘Dangerous’ eras? Not counting the allegations, but, around 1991 MJ seemed to be slipping off a precipice from which there was no return. I will always enjoy his music and talent, but, I can’t help but think that there was no one around him brave enough to suggest mental/emotional counseling–and–maybe, if they had, he would still be with us.
November 10th, 2009 at 7:57 am
This is really sad. It seems that Joe has no legal standing whatsoever to challenge the will. That being said, I don’t understand why the executors don’t just ask the judge to increase Katherine’s personal amount to whatever amount MJ was giving her before he died. That way, Katherine can give out the money however she usually did and they will all have to realize that this will end whenever Katherine dies. It seems that giving Katherine more money now would be best for everyone involved and was apparently what MJ wanted when he gave Katherine 40% of his estate during her lifetime. Maybe Katherine was like my grandmother, always giving money to any of her loved ones who asked (and even us kids, who didn’t), even if she needed it herself. The estate is also making more money currently than MJ would have imagined.
November 10th, 2009 at 7:59 am
Roger, you “were there”. Now you are claiming that you were close to Michael and knew what he was thinking and how he did what he did? Unbelievable!
I think Joe’s actions are part of a bigger picture. He’s doing what Katherine can’t do without contesting the will which is a non-no. But I agree this will go nowhere.
I don’t know about the other stuff Joe is saying but Al Malnik is not a good person. When MJ died he said MJ wanted him to have the kids:
Malnik told WFOR-CBS 4 in Miami that he and Jackson had signed a document granting him custody of Blanket.
”I guess in 2003 or 2004, he asked me if anything ever happened to him, if I would become godfather and parent to Prince Michael,” he told reporter Lisa Petrillo. “So I signed a document at that time agreeing to bring up Blanket in the event anything happened to him.
He also said he was executor:
Malnik also spoke with CBS4’s Lisa Petrillo and said he was executor of the will in 2004, but he’s not sure if he’s still in the will
To top that all off Malnik was very involved with the mobster Meyer Lansky and the feds have been on Malnik’s trail for years because of his alleged mob connections. He is bad news!
November 10th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Huh…? Could you please check the Branca timeline again, Friedman? I know you are closer to those issues, but my understanding is Branca was fired in 1993, resurfaced 2003, and left because of the people around MJ, in 2006. Then came back in June of this year. Is this wrong?
November 10th, 2009 at 8:19 am
According to Wikipedia, none of us is right. This is what it has to say:
“Jackson abruptly left Branca in 1990 when record company mogul David Geffen convinced him that Branca exerted too much control. Jackson re-hired Branca three years later, and Jackson appointed Branca as one of his representatives on the Board of Sony/ATV. In 2006, Branca resigned as Jackson’s lawyer and sold back his equity interest in Sony/ATV. Approximately three weeks before he died, Jackson rehired Branca.”.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Dont get it twisted. Al Malnik was the best thing that could have ever happened to Michael. He loaned Michael 5 Million at Zero Interest and unlike all those trying to be close to Michael for the Money or fame, Al Needed neither the money Nor the Fame !! Ingrid you are taking his words out of context.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:22 am
I really don’t believe Joe is doing all of this without Katherine going along with it. There seems to be a two prong attack from Katherine’s lawyers and Joe’s lawyer (apparently Oxman has replaced Londell McMillan). Adam Streisand, Katherine’s new lawyer, tried to weasel his way into the Britney Spears matter. When Britney was hospitized and in no condition to hire anyone, Streisand showed up in court claiming Britney had just hired him. The judge literally ejected him from the courtroom for his obvious ambulance chasing.
The strategy seems to be to have other members of the Jackson family do the dirty work for Katherine so if things go against them Katherine is not in peril of triggering the “no contest” clause.
In light of these new developments, what Roger was told by an insider about all the money talk in the Jackson home becomes clearer and explains why Joe is often there probably to plan strategy with Katherine and their respective lawyers.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Axon
Anyone can put anything on Wiki. It’s not a reliable source of info. Most teachers don’t even let their students use it as a reference source.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:34 am
According to Roger & TMZ, Debbie Rowe is going back to court only because she believes that Joe is living at the house with Katherine and exerting control over the kids (butting into their business)…so if Joe is in LA with Katherine (however, he keeps showing up at celebrity events with bosom Latinas), then everybody should be concerned. Because he has favoritism with Katherine.
They need to leave well enough alone and be glad that Michael didn’t leave EVERYTHING to the children.
If the LA court has smart judges then they are aware of all the players in this game; the Oxmans and the others. These judges know the lawyers and faux lawyers. However, they have to hear the case and give them “due process”, but in the end it’s a throwaway.
I only hope that Branca outlives Joe.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Just Guessing: I know Wiki is not reliable, but usually someone comes along and corrects it. I just wondered what Friedman has to say about it. There is also an article out there, but I haven’t found it yet, and I don’t remember what that source was. Branca has a website – maybe it has something about this.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:39 am
THE CRASSIEST FAMILY IN AMERICA!
I thought the Madoff family would have won that title this year, but I was wrong. The Jackson Family is absolutely the crassiest family in America. No wonder why Michael avoided them and it is obvious the old lady has no backbone.
The children should be removed from that family and live with Diana Ross, who was named the other alternative guardian in Michael’s will.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:10 am
I really don’t think it matters whether Michael fired Branca. It does seem that Michael regretted it and hired him back. I don’t think even Michael would rehire Branca if Branca had stolen money from him as others are claiming.
Nevertheless, Michael had ample opportunity to change his will from 2003 to 2009 if he was unhappy with who the executors were. He didn’t, and that is what the judge will look at. The fact that Michael had recently rehired him only strengthens Branca’s position–not that it’s even necessary.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Yes – and if MJ wanted Branca out of the will at some point, he wouldn’t “order” him out of it, he’d simply draft another and that would automatically be the valid one. But nobody can produce this other will, so it’s fair to assume the will Branca has produced is the one that should be adhered.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:34 am
This all is so sad. MJ should be alive and well, the O2 tour should have been restricted to 10 gigs and we should have been talking about his latest album and short film – instead we are talking about his darn money and his family.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:41 am
It looks like Katherine and Joe have their Saint and Sinner routine down pat–Katherine (Saint) and Joe (Sinner). Katherine always seems to back Joe in the end.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:49 am
The earlier will naming Branca as executor was given to the court quite a while ago. That really took the wind out of McMillan’s sails.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Branca left Michael in 2006. Michael attended meetings at the Clivdon Hotel in Berkshire, UK. He had various meetings with Sony Execs regarding the Beatles Cat. At that meeting, Branca resigned and sold back to MJ his portion of the Beatles Cat so Michael could refinance it, Michael had to get another mortgage on Neverland in order to buy back Branca’s portion. Branca left in 06, fact. Branca left in 06 because he didn’t think those pulling Michael’s strings had his best interests at heart.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Didn’t McMillan become Michael’s lawyer right after Branca left? I think Raymone Bain hired McMillan.
“For Immediate Release: June 27, 2006
Michael Jackson Announces Organizational Changes
In what is the first of a sweeping restructuring of his personal and business affairs, Michael Jackson has severed ties with his long-time accounts and business managers, Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman & Sloan, with Bahrani attorneys Qays Zubi and Grahame Nelson, and Gut Records executive, Guy Holmes.
He has also established The Michael Jackson Company, Inc., with plans to phase out MJJ Productions.
In other related matters, he has named Spokesperson Raymone K. Bain as General Manager, and has retained N.Y.-based L. Londell McMillan and The McMillan Firm, known for business restructurings and turnarounds, to oversee legal matters pertaining to his business affairs.
Mr. Jackson has previously announced plans to record an album which he predicts will be released in 2007. His recent Japan tour was the first in what will be a line of public appearances, and he is reviewing numerous offers to tour musically, which he plans to embark upon within the next several months.
Mr. Jackson, who is currently in Ireland on personal business, plans on relocating to Europe in the near future.
He is continuing to build his management team and other appointments will be forthcoming.”
http://www.geniusmichaeljackson.com/en/statement.html
November 10th, 2009 at 10:23 am
So according to that release Michael had Bahrani lawyers in 2006- then McMillan.
Could it be Branca didn’t approve of Michael’s Bahraian involvement?
November 10th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I don’t know if I should feel bad for Joe (an 80-year old man who has clearly lost it) or curse him.
Either waym he is a sorry excuse for a father. And people thought MJ was weird….He had good reasons to be the way he was.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:30 am
DF
As to your question about Michael Jackson’s mental health, I think you need to go back a whole lot further than than the early 90’s. Back to the late 70’s there are interviews where he talks about how afraid he is, how lonely he is and how he feels like he doesn’t fit in anywhere.
In a Rolling Stone interview he shows the interviewer a room where he has positioned and clothed mannequins. He talks about going in and talking to them and pretending they are all his friends.
The L.A. Times Robert Hilburn has an interview where he talks about not believing he could live by himself, he was in his early twenties. He would leave the Encino home sometimes and walk around hoping to meet someone he could make friends with but coming home alone and crying in his room.
This guy’s life was beyond sad to me and MAYBE if he’d gotten some help, I mean real help for Michael the person not the superstar it all could have been different.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Well, well, maybe I’ve had Katherine wrong after all.
Jackson’s Mom and Dad Split Over Executors
Posted Nov 10th 2009 1:40PM by TMZ Staff
Katherine Jackson has just drawn a line in the sand with her husband Joe … her lawyer just announced in court Katherine has no problem with John Branca and John McClain as executors of Michael Jackson’s estate.
Joe just filed legal papers yesterday trying to boot Branca and McClain from the case … and he claims the will is a forgery.
story developing
Read more: http://www.tmz.com/#ixzz0WU4n1T57
November 10th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Michael fired Branca because Branca represented Sony as well – major conflict of interest!
November 10th, 2009 at 10:59 am
I sincerely apologize to Katherine.
Way to go, girl!
November 10th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Michael Jackson’s Parents at Legal War
Posted Nov 10th 2009 1:45PM by TMZ Staff
What a turn! Katherine and Joe Jackson are fighting each other in court … right now.
Katherine’s new lawyer, Adam Streisand, is arguing to the judge that Joe has no legal standing to object to John Branca and John McClain as executors, nor does he have any standing to object to the validity of the will.
Streisand is arguing …. since Michael Jackson cut Joe out of the will, he has no dog in this fight.
During the fight, Billie Jean Jackson — you know — just stood up and said that she’s an heir so she’ll object … so Joe’s got that going for him.
Read more: http://www.tmz.com/#ixzz0WU7KSY2Q
November 10th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Tuesday: I’ve been thinking a lot about MJ’s early loneliness too. He denied that he actually talked to the mannequins, but he felt he had people in his room when they were there – very strange. Something went wrong early on, which he understood himself, and his father probably had a lot to do with it – as had the passivity of his mother.
Legal battle between Katherine and Joe – I wish she had fought him sooner. What would have happened if she had taken her kids in her arms and said: There is a side to Dad we can’t live with, so we are moving out. I love you.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Thanks Tuesday Afternoon.
Truly sad, indeed.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Money lyrics
Money.
Money…
Lie for it
Spy for it
Kill for it
Die for it
So you call it trust
But I say it’s just
In the devil’s game
Of greed and lust
They don’t care
They’d do me for the money
They don’t care
They use me for the money
So you go to church
Read the Holy word
In the scheme of life
It’s all absurd
They don’t care
They’d kill for the money
Do or dare
The thrill for the money
You’re saluting the flag
Your country trusts you
Now you’re wearing a badge
You’re called the “Just Few”
And you’re fighting the wars
A soldier must do
I’ll never betray or deceive you my friend but…
If you show me the cash
Then I will take it
If you tell me to cry
Then I will fake it
If you give me a hand
Then I will shake it
You’ll do anything for money…
Anything
Anything
Anything for money
Would lie for you
Would die for you
Even sell my soul to the devil
Anything
Anything
Anything for money
Would lie for you
Would die for you
Even sell my soul to the devil
Insurance?
Where do your loyalties lie?
Is that your alibi?
I don’t think so
You don’t care
You’d do her for the money
Say it’s fair
You sue her for the money
Want your pot of gold
Need the Midas touch
Bet you sell your soul
Cuz your God is such
You don’t care
You kill for the money
Do or dareThe thrill for the money
Are you infected with the same disease
Of lust, gluttoney and greed?
Then watch the ones
With the biggest smiles
The idle jabbers…Cuz they’re the backstabbers
If you know it’s a lie
Then you will swear it
If you give it with guilt
Then you will bear it
If it’s taking a chance
Then you will dare it
You’ll do anything for money…
Anything
Anything
Anything for money
Would lie for you
Would die for you
Even sell my soul to the devil
Anything
Anything
Anything for money
Would lie for you
Would die for you
Even sell my soul to the devil
Anything
Anything
Anything for money
Would lie for you
Would die for you
Even sell my soul to the devil
Anything
Anything
Anything for money
Would lie for you
Would die for you
Even sell my soul to the devil
You say you wouldn’t do it
For all the money in the world
I don’t think soIf you show me the man
Then I will sell him
If you ask me to lie
Then I will tell him
If you’re dealing with God
Then you will hell him
You’ll do anything for money
Anything
Anything
Anything for money
Would lie for you
Would die for you
Even sell my soul to the devil
Even sell my soul to the devil
Even sell my soul to the devil
Even sell my soul to the devil
Even sell my soul to the devil
Even sell my soul to the devil
Even sell my soul to the devil
Even sell my soul to the devil
November 10th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Michael Jackson’s mother approves will executors
By LINDA DEUTSCH (AP) – 1 hour ago
LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s mother has withdrawn her objections to the appointment of two longtime Jackson associates as executors of the singer’s will.
The surprise announcement Tuesday came from Katherine Jackson’s attorney Adam Streisand, who said his client feels it’s time the fighting ended.
Streisand says Katherine Jackson no longer objects to the appointment of attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain to oversee the singer’s estate. Streisand says the mother feels her actions are in the best interest of her son’s children.
A judge says he will make the formal appointment after resolving whether Jackson’s father can challenge the appointments. Joe Jackson was omitted from his son’s will.
Lawyers for the estate were ordered back to argue to matter.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h9a7kycTsBsS5YVilTVuapWmQ4JgD9BSRQKG0
November 10th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
JOE: shame on you!!!. Leave your son’s estate alone., Go find a job or somethinng and stop wanting to mooch off your dead son. There was obviously a reason why MJ did not include you in his will. Let the money be for his children. Rest in Peace- King of Pop. We will always love you.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Joe Jackson is nothing but an abusive piece of trash. Lets hope that the executors keep it in court for the next ten years — he won’t be around that long.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
I see what MJ had to live with. The family, the media, and these so call friends like Dr. Klein and others. Money grabbing folks on every side. Joe should be ashame of himself, but I guess he wasn’t ashame when he was beating the crap out of Michael. You look at these celebrities and you think they have it made, but fame ain’t everything. I’m glad Michael didn’t leave Joe anything. Instead of mourning his son and trying to fine out what happen, he is fighting for his son money.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Joe’s been trying to get his hands on MJ’s money for years now.
Who can forget, after MJ died, all Joe wanted to talk about to the press was the “new company” he was forming.
I’m going to assume that he figured he’d have a nice pile of money coming from MJ’s estate that would finance it.
Surprise, Joe!
November 10th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Forget Joe Jackson, all I’m going to say is I pray Michael is at peace now. Will never forget Michael J. Jackson.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Yes, finally at least his will seems to be working.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
“I’m not suggesting he’s (John Branca) a saint.”
But that statement does suggest that you know something about Branca that you’re not sharing with us. Come on, Roger, give it up.
Now that Katherine Jackson has stated she has no objection to Branca and McClain as executors, what possible objection could they have to her or her nominee being named the third executor? (MJ’s will called for three.)
Debbie Rowe receives enormous “spousal” support from MJ’s estate, even though MJ was not her spouse at the time of his death, such support customarily ends with death, and she’s specifically excluded in the will. The basis of this support is a purported verbal agreement between Ms. Rowe and MJ. There is no documentation for it. Playing the Devil’s Advocate, I can see how Joe Jackson can make a claim for an allowance based on the fact that Michael did give him considerable sums of money over the years, whch could be interpreted as a de facto agreement. And unlike Debbie Rowe, Joe is not excluded in the will by name. What’s good for an ex-spouse ought to be good for an elderly parent.
November 10th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
MJ’s will called for three executors, but Barry Siegel resigned from this role in 2003. If MJ wanted to name a third one after 2003 to replace Siegel, he could have done it. But he did not.
November 10th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
@Simba: “what’s good for an ex-spouse ought to be good for an elderly parent.” Except the ex-spouse has the right to take her biological children back. full stop.
Katherine has had to account for the allowance she’s gotten until the will is probated. Every dime. Joe hasn’t gotten his cut and got antsy. I guess it’s hard to squire around busty rent-a-chicks without the cash money to back it up. He wanted his piece and went straight to the well for it. Haha, DENIED!!
But notice that Katherine said he should get SOME support, just not the way he’s going about it. She LOVES him being in Vegas, away from her. She can still “get into heaven” as a Christian wife and he’s going straight to where he’s headed!
November 10th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
This is incredibly like Lemony Snickets, but who is Count Olaf? Is it really Joe Jackson?
Can we garner anything from what the crazy Dr Klein says about Joe introducing the Dr Murray to Michael in the 1st place.
Stranger things have happened, look at what happened to Marvin Gaye!
November 10th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Get your money Joe! Everybody else is getting paid. You were there at the beginning – it was your energy and aggressiveness that got the Jackson 5 signed and then the rest is history. Joe is 80 something years old – he may not be on this earth very long – I say go for it Joe – get paid. Michael wasn’t in his right mind in the last few years – he should have taken care of you. You are Michael’s daddy!
November 10th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
whilome – “Except the ex-spouse has the right to take her biological children back. full stop.”
Doesn’t this confirm the impression that Ms. Rowe considers custody of the children to be a bargaining chip, rather than an expression of real concern? At any rate, at their ages, the children are allowed a voice in their custody arrangement. No court would allow Ms. Rowe to arbitrarily disrupt their lives – they seem to be doing well – or separate them from the sibling she has no ties to, especially if it’s evident that it’s only to get more money.
moko “MJ’s will called for three executors, but Barry Siegel resigned from this role in 2003.”
Anyone know why Siegel resigned?
November 10th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Joe Jackson told his kids they could not call him Dad and he didn’t behave like one, he was their manager. So I wouldn’t call him Michael’s Dad. As a manager, he was fired by all of the children. Without Michael, there wouldn’t have been this great success for Jackson 5. Michael was a star, the others were average.
I recently read an old review from the last tour they did together, the Victory Tour. The journalist is wondering why Michael is not alone, because he is the one everyone wants to see, not the others. The contrast was so sharp.
After having supported him for years, in spite of all he did (which I think plays a huge part in why Michael is in his grave right now instead of on the stage) Michael has the right to stop the cash flow. Joe has nine living children – why won’t they pay him? If he has that kind of bills, someone must pay him already, btw.
As for DR, all we know is she wants to see the kids, probably to make sure they are OK. Katherine seems to have put a stop to that. If DR has to make use of custody “threat” as a leverage, I understand her. I’m not going to judge or second guess her until she actually does something stupid.
Poor kids. They don’t really stand a chance. I hope they’ll get through their childhood unscathed.
November 11th, 2009 at 12:24 am
DF, Tuesday Afternoon:
We do not know whether or not Michael received counseling during his lifetime. His former wealth advisor said that he read a lot of psychology and sociology books; he likely did try to get “help” at some point. I used to be a mental health professional and observed that counseling alone rarely makes a difference in people’s lives without a strong network of social support and authentic relationships – Michael had neither. Secondly, the psychological scars from child abuse do not heal, especially when the parent continues to intimidate their child – Joe coerced Michael into hiring Leonard Rowe a couple of months before his death, the abuse never stopped.
What Michael really needed was to be loved and appreciated for who he was and not what he did. His fame and family dynamic made that almost impossible. Elizabeth Taylor was probably his only true friend.
November 11th, 2009 at 12:46 am
Eve: But it seems Michael actually had scores of people who loved him and whom he loved, I don’t mean fans but friends. It just didn’t help. He had Grace, Lisa Marie, Deepak and his family, Taylor, Miko Brando, and probably more we never heard of because they belonged to his private life. He wasn’t necessarily lonely, but he felt lonely.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:05 am
Hi Axon:
I was talking about the kind of love where you can bear your soul to someone without fear of judgment, pity or contempt and tell all your gut-wrenching secrets.
When you are famous, you have to worry about having your secrets and fears exposed if the relationship sours. Of those you mentionned, I would add Miko. Even Grace did a negative interview after she was fired, Lisa Marie spoke of their marriage with regret when he was alive, and Deepak has been a media whore since Michael died and speculated that he was addicted to narcotics at the time of his death. Utimately, only Michael knows who his real friends were, I’m just on the outside looking in. In my work experience, I’ve found that people feel lonely for valid reasons, they have people who care for them but have few intimate and authentic long-term relationships.
That being said, I think that the abuse and emotional deprivation he suffered is what did him in. Being beaten in anger because your performance doesn’t meet your parent’s expectations makes you feel anxious and inadequate for the rest of your life – you are left with a profound fear of failure and need for perfection. Therapy rarely helps because the client’s emotional response to stressors was ingrained when their brain was developing. As an adult, part of them still expects to get hit whenever they make a mistake.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:13 am
Eve: “Therapy rarely helps because the client’s emotional response to stressors was ingrained when their brain was developing. As an adult, part of them still expects to get hit whenever they make a mistake.” – I know, I just read about that. The abuse may also have been responsible for his two main disease – vitiligo and lupus, both autoimmune diseases.
In an early interview (I think he was nineteen or twenty), Michael said he could reveal all her secrets to Diana Ross. He had people to talk to. When he was a child, he had unconditional love from his mother (whom he could not tell everything) and his tutor, a little Jewish lady who, he said, traveled with all those black guys and kids and introduced herself in airports as the mother. So the picture is so complex.
I want to run to Chopra’s defense, without knowing him. He did indeed talk about Michal’s drug abuse directly after his death, but that could have been because he had seen so much of it over the years and he was so disgusted by the doctors who prescribed the drugs. He wanted them punished, so he revealed it. He himself never gave Michael narcotics though asked repeatedly. Michael considered him his friend. I think Deepak would like Murray, Klein and some others in court. Who wouldn’t. So he did what he could to achieve that.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:35 am
The wrong man died June 25, 2009. The ugly grotesque 80 year old waste of human DNA should have died instead of the beautiful son that somehow can from that vile SOB.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Axon: so true, autoimmune diseases can often result from chronic stress during childhood. Human beings simply weren’t built to live in fear for extended periods of time.
We’ll just have to agree to disagree about his relationships. I still find Deepak to be rather self-serving and his rush to judgment, along with Brian Oxman, fueled the media circus that has followed Michael’s death. These concerns should have been made privately to the coroner’s office and the LAPD. Michael had osteoarthitis in his lower back so he had a justifiable reason to want pain medication. Usually sufferers are encouraged to lose weight to control their symptoms, maybe that’s why he stayed skinny after the trial.
I do not see Michael as a drug addict of choice, I think that he suffered from chronic insomnia and anxiety; unfortunately tolerance quickly builds with benzos and sedatives. They also leave you drowsy and lethargic throughout the day, so I can see why he would be attracted to Diprivan which has a very short half-life. Yoga and meditation are only temporary solutions to PTSD driven insomnia. Even troops are placed on medication during their treatment; however, they also have access to group therapy and support groups – Michael would have benefitted from that if his privacy was guaranteed.
Michael would still be alive if Dr. Murray had all of the necessary equipment to keep him breathing and had called 911 right away. At the end of the day, this is a case of medical malpractice and negligence and less about Michael’s “issues”.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Eve: I agree, Michal was not a drug addict because he found it romantic or had nothing better to do, there were underlying real causes for medication (lupus is also painful) that he couldn’t make go away, and on top of that he had the metabolism of an addict, which is not something you choose to have. You have it, or not. I have personal experience of serious insomnia, and I know it’s hell on earth, so he needed something for that too, although using propofol at home is like swallowing razor blades. But I have always had the opinion that the use of propofol, although demanded by Michael, was entirely Murray’s responsibility. They don’t share the blame, the blame totally on Murray’s hands.
November 12th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Saw “This Is IT” today for the first time and it was GREAT!!!!!!!!!! If I ever had any doubt as to what a great performer Michael Jackson was, I don’t have any doubt now.