By JENNY DESBOROUGH
MICHAEL JACKSON’S death sent shockwaves around the world – but how did he die? Michael Jackson’s death was a real shock for fans everywhere, with some people even remembering where they were at the very moment. Soon his songs were at the top of the charts and fans were listening to them all over again. His death was certainly controversial in the months and years which followed as well.
How did Michael Jackson die?
Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, with the official cause of death named as acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication.
Jackson was preparing to perform at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles and had attended a rehearsal the night before his death.
His doctor Conrad Murray had attended him on the night and administered various drugs to help Jackson get to sleep.
The following morning, however, Jackson was found not breathing in his bedroom.
In his testimony, Murray said he started CPR on Jackson before shouting to a chef for security and further help, claiming he could not call the emergency services on his mobile phone due to his not knowing Jackson’s exact address.
Eventually, the call to the emergency services came in at 12.21pm, as was confirmed by an LA Fire Department spokesman, after which paramedics reached Jackson at 12.26pm to find he was still not breathing.
Paramedics performed CPR on his for more than 40 minutes before taking him in the ambulance to the hospital.
He arrived at the hospital at 1.14pm, and doctors attempted to resuscitate him for more than an hour before his death was called at 2.26pm.
When Jackson’s death was reported, his family released a statement, saying: “Our beloved son, brother, uncle and father of three children has gone so unexpectedly, in such a tragic way and much too soon.
‘It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point, where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times.’
An autopsy was performed in the LA County Coroner’s office the day after Jackson’s death, which found he died from a combination of drugs, with propofol and lorazepam named as the primary substances.
Testimony in the trial suggested propofol, in conjunction with other drugs in Jackson’s system, had played a key role in his death.
In 2011, the jury found Murray guilty and he was sentenced to four years in prison but was released after two years on October 28, 2013, for good behaviour.
During the trial, his licence to practise medicine and administer heavy sedatives were revoked, and has remained so to this day.
Jackson left behind his three children – Prince, Paris and Blanket – who lived in his mother Katherine’s care after his death. ❑
