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Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
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The pain that made a superstar addicted to drugs
Source: Agencies |
June 29, 2009, Monday
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Print Edition
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IT was the last day of shooting for a Pepsi commercial at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1984, and the only hiccup had been an argument between Michael Jackson and an ad executive over whether the young superstar would take off his sunglasses.
"Then," as the executive later wrote, "we set his hair on fire."
Jackson was descending a staircase in an extravagant, pyrotechnic opening sequence, dancing to "Billie Jean," when a spark landed on his head. Jackson cried out. People nearby leapt on him to put out the fire, but Jackson was in hospital for days with a burned scalp.
Thus began a thread of pain that ran through a remarkable career - and made painkillers all too accessible.
Because of accidents, frequent plastic surgery and the sheer intensity of his dancing, physical agony was the unshakable problem with being Michael Jackson.
Since his death, people close to Jackson have said they were worried about his dependence on the drugs. In 1993, while he was defending himself against child molestation charges, Jackson himself called it an addiction.
On Saturday, spiritual teacher Dr Deepak Chopra said he had been concerned since 2005 that Jackson was abusing painkillers and spoke to the pop star about suspected drug use as recently as six months ago.
"In a way, this was coming, and in a way, it's frustrating that we couldn't do anything about it," he said. "The problem has been going on for a long time, but we didn't know what to do."
Chopra said Jackson, a longtime friend, asked him for painkillers in 2005, when the singer was staying with him after he was acquitted on sex-abuse charges. Chopra said he refused.
He also said the nanny of Jackson's children repeatedly contacted him with concerns about Jackson's drug use over the next four years.
Well before Jackson had a doctor living under his own roof, there were ample reasons to turn to pharmaceuticals to relieve pain.
Over the years, Jackson underwent numerous plastic surgeries, the most prominent being on his nose.
In 1990, he was hospitalized with chest pains. In 1993, he canceled a performance due to dehydration and later cut his tour short because of his painkiller addiction. In 1995, he collapsed on stage in New York.
"Then," as the executive later wrote, "we set his hair on fire."
Jackson was descending a staircase in an extravagant, pyrotechnic opening sequence, dancing to "Billie Jean," when a spark landed on his head. Jackson cried out. People nearby leapt on him to put out the fire, but Jackson was in hospital for days with a burned scalp.
Thus began a thread of pain that ran through a remarkable career - and made painkillers all too accessible.
Because of accidents, frequent plastic surgery and the sheer intensity of his dancing, physical agony was the unshakable problem with being Michael Jackson.
Since his death, people close to Jackson have said they were worried about his dependence on the drugs. In 1993, while he was defending himself against child molestation charges, Jackson himself called it an addiction.
On Saturday, spiritual teacher Dr Deepak Chopra said he had been concerned since 2005 that Jackson was abusing painkillers and spoke to the pop star about suspected drug use as recently as six months ago.
"In a way, this was coming, and in a way, it's frustrating that we couldn't do anything about it," he said. "The problem has been going on for a long time, but we didn't know what to do."
Chopra said Jackson, a longtime friend, asked him for painkillers in 2005, when the singer was staying with him after he was acquitted on sex-abuse charges. Chopra said he refused.
He also said the nanny of Jackson's children repeatedly contacted him with concerns about Jackson's drug use over the next four years.
Well before Jackson had a doctor living under his own roof, there were ample reasons to turn to pharmaceuticals to relieve pain.
Over the years, Jackson underwent numerous plastic surgeries, the most prominent being on his nose.
In 1990, he was hospitalized with chest pains. In 1993, he canceled a performance due to dehydration and later cut his tour short because of his painkiller addiction. In 1995, he collapsed on stage in New York.
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