15 Years After Michael Jackson's Tragic Demise: A Visceral Account of His Final Moments
On June 25, 2009, the world was shaken by the news of Michael Jackson's sudden passing at the age of 50. The King of Pop had been preparing for a highly anticipated comeback tour, "This Is It," when his life was cut tragically short by a heart attack.
In the 15 years since his death, the harrowing details of Jackson's final days have slowly come to light, painting a visceral picture of his final moments. This minute-by-minute account offers a searing look into the pop icon's last hours, a testament to the immense pressures and personal demons that ultimately led to his demise.
March 5, 2009
The announcement of Jackson's "This Is It" residency at London's O2 Arena sends shockwaves through the music industry. After years of seclusion, the reclusive singer promises "the final curtain call" for his legions of adoring fans. Tickets sell out in mere hours, as Jackson seeks to pay off the staggering $350 million in debt he has amassed.
Early April
Rehearsals begin in Burbank, California, with Jackson reuniting with longtime collaborators like choreographer Travis Payne and show director Kenny Ortega. To the relief of those around him, the singer appears happier and more energized than he has been in years. However, his makeup artist Karen Faye notes that he is "on the thin side," hinting at the underlying struggles Jackson continues to face.
April 12 (Easter Sunday)
Jackson makes a desperate call to his close friend and nurse, Cherilyn Lee, begging for the powerful anesthetic propofol, a drug he has become dangerously dependent on to help him sleep. He pleads with Lee to find him an anesthesiologist, claiming a doctor has assured him that "it's safe as long as somebody is here to monitor me and wake me up." Despite Lee's concerns about the drug's lethal potential, Jackson's addiction proves to be unrelenting.
May
AEG Live, the tour promoter, hires Dr. Conrad Murray to be Jackson's personal physician, promising him a salary of $150,000 per month. The company also takes steps to ensure Jackson's well-being, hiring a staffer to remind him to eat during rehearsals due to concerns about his rapidly declining weight.
Dr. Murray begins administering nightly infusions of propofol to Jackson, further fueling the singer's dependence on the powerful anesthetic.
June 12
Choreographer Travis Payne notices Jackson struggling during the day's rehearsals. The singer requests that a teleprompter be added to the tour staging to help him remember the lyrics to his songs. Dr. Murray advises that Jackson takes the next day off to rest.
June 19
Jackson has failed to turn up to rehearsals for a week. When he finally arrives back, he is shivering and incoherent. Show Director Kenny Ortega sends a worried email to AEG's CEO, Randy Phillips, describing Jackson as a "lost boy" exhibiting "signs of paranoia, anxiety and obsessive-disorder-like behavior." Ortega suggests that it would be best to call off the tour entirely, but fears it would "break Michael's heart."
June 20
Jackson is off rehearsals again, and Dr. Murray holds a crisis meeting at Jackson's Bel Air home. He assures Ortega that Jackson is "physically and emotionally capable of handling all his responsibility as a performer."
June 21
Nurse Cherilyn Lee receives a panicked call from a Jackson aide, saying that one side of the singer's body feels hot, while the other feels cold. Lee can hear Jackson writhing in pain in the background and worries that he is having a severe reaction to a drug. She suggests that Jackson be taken to the hospital, but his aides decide to keep him at home.
Dr. Murray stops using propofol to induce Jackson's sleep for the next two nights.
June 25
The unthinkable happens. Michael Jackson, the global superstar whose music had captivated the world for decades, takes his final breath. Attempts at CPR by Dr. Murray and paramedics prove futile, leaving Jackson's ribs cracked from the prolonged efforts to revive him. The King of Pop, who had begged like a child for more sedatives, utters his haunting last words before succumbing to the very demons that had plagued him throughout his life.
The tragic demise of Michael Jackson stands as a stark reminder of the immense pressures and personal struggles that can consume even the most celebrated of artists. His final moments, marked by agonizing pain and a desperate search for relief, have become a sobering testament to the human cost of fame and the perils of addiction. Even 15 years later, the world continues to grapple with the loss of a true icon, whose legacy will forever be intertwined with the tragedy of his untimely passing.
June 23, 2024
After months of uncertainty, Michael Jackson has finally returned to rehearsals for his highly anticipated comeback tour. The 50-year-old pop superstar, who has been plagued by health issues in recent years, appeared reenergized and eager to take the stage once again.
According to his choreographer Travis Payne, Jackson was "a very different man" compared to his last public appearances. "His energy, his state of mind, his enthusiasm - it was all so palpable. You could tell he was truly excited to be back," Payne remarked.
June 24, 2024 - Early Afternoon
At his home in Los Angeles, Jackson enjoyed a quiet lunch with his three children - Paris, 11, Prince, 12, and Blanket, 7. His personal chef, Kai Chaise, prepared a healthy meal of seared ahi tuna and fresh salad, accompanied by a glass of carrot and orange juice. Jackson appeared relaxed and content, even taking a moment to pray before the meal.
After lunch, Payne ran Jackson through some dance routines, ensuring he was in top form for the upcoming rehearsals. Jackson seemed eager to dive back into the choreography, moving with his signature grace and fluidity.
Evening
As the afternoon wore on, Jackson left his home in a navy blue Escalade driven by his bodyguard, Faheen Muhammad. He was headed to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles to meet up with his team of musicians and dancers for the final rehearsal before their scheduled departure for London on July 2nd.
Upon arrival, security guard Alberto Alvarez greeted the vehicle and escorted Jackson to his dressing room via golf cart. As Jackson made his way to the stage, several members of the crew remarked on his upbeat demeanor.
9:00 PM
Jackson began the rehearsal session, grinning broadly as he ran through classic hits like "Smooth Criminal," "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," and "Billie Jean." For the first time, he saw the show's elaborate video accompaniments, which included a stunning 3D segment featuring a floating crystal ball that appeared to hover over the audience.
The rehearsal reached a high point as Jackson and his dancers performed "Thriller." Video footage captured the pop icon flawlessly executing his signature moonwalk, much to the delight of the assembled crew.
Midnight
As the clock struck twelve, rehearsals came to an end. Jackson thanked his team and embraced the dancers, saying, "God bless you." He was then driven back home in his Escalade, briefly stopping to greet a small group of waiting fans at the front gate.
Upon his return, Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was already parked outside the house. Muhammad and Jackson's at-home security team escorted the singer inside and to the foot of the stairs, as per their usual protocol. Jackson complained of feeling tired.
June 25, 2024 - Early Morning
In the early hours of the morning, Dr. Murray began administering a series of medications to help Jackson sleep. First, he gave Jackson 10 milligrams of Valium, an anti-anxiety drug. When that did not have the desired effect, Murray added 2 milligrams of lorazepam, another anti-anxiety medication, through an intravenous drip.
Despite these interventions, Jackson remained restless in his bed. Murray then added 2 milligrams of the sedative midazolam to the IV, but to no avail. At 5:00 AM, the doctor administered an additional 2 milligrams of lorazepam.
10:40 AM
As Jackson continued to demand more sleep medication, Murray eventually gave in and administered a massive 25-milligram dose of propofol, a powerful anesthetic. This dose would ultimately prove to be lethal.
Murray left Jackson's bedside for a brief trip to the bathroom, and when he returned, he found the pop star was no longer breathing. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, and Jackson was pronounced dead shortly after.
The tragic events of that morning would set in motion a complex legal and medical investigation that would captivate the world and forever change the legacy of one of the most iconic entertainers of all time.
12:13 PM
Murray makes a fourth phone call, this time to Jackson's personal assistant Michael Williams. However, he is unable to reach Williams and is forced to leave a panicked voicemail: "Call me right away, call me right away."
12:15 PM
Williams returns Murray's call. When he answers, Murray tells him urgently, "Get here right away, Mr. Jackson had a bad reaction. He had a bad reaction."
Williams immediately calls Jackson's security team, who are stationed in a trailer outside the house.
12:18 PM
Bodyguard Alberto Alvarez rushes inside the house and quickly makes his way upstairs to Jackson's room. There, he finds Jackson lying on his back, his arms outstretched, and his eyes and mouth wide open. To Alvarez's horror, Jackson is not breathing.
Murray immediately begins administering CPR to Jackson, but also instructs Alvarez to first remove any emptied medication vials from the room before calling 911.
Hearing the commotion, Jackson's children - Paris and Prince - enter their father's bedroom. Seeing their father in such a dire state, the children start crying, and Alvarez quickly ushers them out of the room.
Murray continues his attempts to resuscitate Jackson, performing mouth-to-mouth while another security guard takes over chest compressions.
12:21 PM
Alvarez finally calls emergency services, telling the operator in a panicked voice, "I need an ambulance as soon as possible. We have a gentleman here who needs help and he's not breathing. We're trying to pump him, but he's not breathing."
12:27 PM
The paramedics finally arrive at the scene.
12:29 PM
The paramedics are unable to find a pulse on Jackson, but Murray claims he can feel a weak heartbeat in Jackson's upper thigh, though no one else can detect it. The paramedics attempt two rounds of resuscitation efforts at the house before loading Jackson into the ambulance to continue treatment.
1:07 PM
Murray rides with Jackson in the ambulance to the hospital. During the journey, he does not inform the paramedics about the propofol he had administered to Jackson. Instead, he tells them that he was treating Jackson for dehydration and that he had given him 4 milligrams of lorazepam via an IV drip.
1:08 PM
From the ambulance, Murray calls his live-in girlfriend, Nicole Alvarez, and the mother of his 3-month-old son. He solemnly tells her, "It's not looking good."
1:14 PM
The ambulance carrying Jackson arrives at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, just two miles from his Bel Air home.
At the hospital, doctors try various resuscitation techniques in a desperate attempt to save Jackson's life, including using a pump forcibly threaded into his arteries and heart. However, after more than an hour of CPR, Jackson's body sustains multiple cracked ribs.
2:26 PM
Tragically, Jackson is pronounced dead.
A distraught Dr. Murray bursts into tears upon hearing the news, but then leaves the hospital against the objections of the police.
2:44 PM
The media begins reporting on Jackson's death, causing some news websites to crash due to the unprecedented surge in global internet traffic, which rises by up to 20%.
Late Afternoon
Police arrive at Jackson's home and begin their investigation. They discover a variety of medical equipment, oxygen tanks, syringes, and even a jug of urine in Jackson's bedroom.
In Jackson's bed, next to a stack of children's films, authorities find a porcelain doll of a young blonde boy wearing green dungarees.
Hidden in various bags throughout the room, the police uncover bottles of propofol and other prescription painkillers. An empty vial is also found on the floor near the bed.
The world watches in grief as Jackson's corpse, zipped in a white body bag, is transported from his home to the Los Angeles coroner's office for an autopsy.
Evening
Devastated fans gather outside Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Santa Ynez, singing his hit songs late into the night. In the wake of his death, Jackson's music sales skyrocket, with over 2 million records sold in just three weeks.
July 7
Jackson's solid bronze casket, with gold-plated hardware, is transported in a hearse from the Forest Lawn Cemetery, where a private family service was held, to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles for a televised memorial.
Jackson's brothers all wear a single white sequined glove as a tribute. More than 2.5 billion people worldwide tune in to watch the funeral, making it the most-watched non-sports broadcast in history. The 17,500 tickets for the event were allocated through a random lottery.
During the service, Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris, delivers a heartbreaking farewell, telling the crowd: "I just want to say, ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine, and I just want to say I love him so much."
August 28
The coroners rule that Jackson's death was a homicide, and the autopsy report reveals the shocking details of his heavily deformed feet, covered in calluses, and a severe fungal infection.
September 15, 2010
Jackson's family files a wrongful death lawsuit against AEG Live, the concert promoter, alleging that the company was "more concerned about profiting off the tour than they were about the wellbeing of the singer."
November 7, 2011
Dr. Murray is convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison. However, he is released early, in October 2013, due to jail overcrowding.
October 2, 2013
The Jackson family loses their lawsuit against AEG Live after a jury unanimously finds that Dr. Murray was not unfit "to perform the job he was hired for."
January 25, 2019
HBO airs a major documentary, "Leaving Neverland," in which two men detail shocking claims that Jackson raped and sexually abused them in the 1990s.
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