Did Michael Jackson use aliases to obtain prescription drugs? That’s what TMZ is reporting this morning. According to the report, MJ used names such as Omar Arnold and Jack London to obtain medications.
According to CNN the medical mania surrounding MJ was so great that during a tour in the 1990s he traveled with what seemed like a “mini-clinic,” including an anesthesiologist and IV pole. CNN reports that the anesthesiologist, Dr. Neil Ratner, had his medical license revoked in 2002 after he was found guilty of insurance fraud.
In an article posted today, TMZ reports one medical source saying Jackson, "was an anesthesia addict." According to TMZ, LA police officers found the anesthesia Propofol (also known as Diprivan) in Jackson’s home and the website noted "it’s looking like that’s the drug that killed him."
It is unclear how widely rumors that Jackson was dependent on prescription drugs circulated in entertainment circles. However, according to TMZ, the promoter for MJ’s planned 50 London concerts carried insurance that “covered an MJ overdose.” The policy did not cover death from natural causes.
These revelations underscore Lisa Marie Presley’s recollection of an eerie prediction MJ made in a conversation she said she had with him years ago. They had been discussing the circumstances surround Elvis Presley’s death when Michael said, “I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did."
Lisa Marie recalled this conversation in a post on her MySpace page. She went on to add that she wanted to “save him from the inevitable which is what has just happened.” She also said, “[h]is family and his loved ones also wanted to save him from this as well but didn’t know how. . .”
Over the coming months the details of this unhappy story may begin to unfold as state and federal agencies conduct proceed with their investigations.
Jerry Brown, California’s State Attorney General is now investigating prescriptions written by Jackson’s doctors. Brown’s office will be working with the LAPD and the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement to track MJ’s drugs. According to TMZ this is the same process that was used in the Anna Nicole Smith case.
In addition to the state investigators, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is opening its own investigation according to sources cited by CNN. In the meantime, the LA County Coroner said toxicology results should be available in two to three weeks.
The outcome of these investigations remains an open question. However it seems certain we will hear more about this talented musician’s tragic connection with prescription medication.
2 Comments
Wayne Parsons
Great talent and great tragedy seem too often to go together. Elvis. Janis Joplin. Marvin Gaye. Van Gogh. Thanks for reporting the news that the drones on the major media don't report.
yram
Of course there is a lot of money to be made when you find yourself basking under the glory of one of these great all time performers,but as a health care provider,but then ethics aside, where do we draw the line or lets say when do we here start hearing that small voice that keeps asking constantly "Am i my brother's keeper?"
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