“KING of Pop’ Michael Jackson was “desperate for sleep” and under immense pressure as he prepared for a high-profile concert residency he would never live to perform, according to his former legal counsel and confidant.
The singer died on 25 June 2009 at the age of 50 from cardiac arrest caused by a fatal dose of the anaesthetic propofol, along with multiple sedatives. He had been preparing for his “This Is It” residency at London’s O2 Arena, scheduled to run from July 2009 to March 2010.
In his memoir ‘Crazy Lucky: Remarkable Stories from Inside the World of Celebrity Icons’, John Mason details the physical and psychological toll the tour had taken on the star.
“He was trying to tour again, but he had collapsed onstage during rehearsals. Yet, he was back at it the next day. Michael was Michael,” Mason wrote.
Jackson, who was reportedly struggling financially and at risk of losing Neverland Ranch, shared his concerns about the punishing schedule with Mason: “I can’t function if I don’t sleep. They’ll have to cancel it. And I don’t want them to cancel it.”
In a bid to combat his chronic insomnia, concert promoter AEG Live hired Dr Conrad Murray, reportedly at Jackson’s own request, to oversee his medical needs. Dr Murray administered propofol nightly—a potent anaesthetic typically used in surgery.
By mid-June, those closest to Jackson had grown increasingly worried, describing signs of declining mental health, including paranoia, anxiety, and obsessive behaviours.
On the morning of his death, Dr Murray administered a series of sedatives—10mg of diazepam, 2mg of lorazepam, and 2mg of midazolam, with further doses of lorazepam and midazolam given throughout the early hours—culminating in a final 25mg injection of propofol at 10:40 a.m., which led to Jackson’s cardiac arrest.
Dr Murray was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 and sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the singer’s death. - June 25, 2025
