There are few stars of the past who remain every bit as famous as they were when they lived. It’s the litmus test of a true celebrity icon, if their light continues to glow even as their names and deeds fade into the annals of time.
If the recently released Michael Jackson biopic can tell us anything, it’s that MJ’s phenomenal star power is every bit as impressive today as it was prior to his untimely passing in 2009.
The film, simply named Michael, garnered poor reviews overall, and yet has proven to be a box office smash hit, taking $217 million as of earlier this week. Proof, if it was needed, that there remain millions across the world who are to some extent invested in his life story.
And why not? Michael Jackson rose to unparalleled popularity over the course of his career, smashing records and evolving into a cultural maelstrom who, at the height of his powers and beyond, was recognized and celebrated worldwide.
His reputation, sadly, was ultimately marred by allegations and repeated rumors. The King of Pop was never convicted of anything, but the idea that he succeeded in hiding something that had the potential to forever tarnish his memory has been a point of contention for many a year.
The biopic, Michael, skips the numerous allegations of child abuse entirely. Dan Reed, director of four-part series Leaving Neverland, which focused on the accusations, openly criticized the new film’s decision to pretend like the claims weren’t an important part of MJ’s story.
One thing the movie did do, however, is reveal the meaning behind the Beat It singer’s final words.
By now the majority of our readers will be all too familiar with Jackson’s death, and the heartbreaking, seemingly preventable nature of its circumstances. The star’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, admitted that he had been administering Jackson high doses of propofol each night to help him sleep.
Murray was accused of voluntary manslaughter after MJ died of an overdose on the night of June 25, 2009. At trial, the doctor revealed that the Thriller hitmaker’s last words were used to ask for “milk”.
“Please, please give me some milk so that I can sleep, because I know that this is all that really works for me,” Jackson is reported to have said.
Murray then clarified that “milk” is what Jackson called the drug propofol, otherwise known as the “milk of amnesia”.
“This is just a medicine that he was familiar with, it’s called propofol,” Murray said.
“He said, ‘Just make me sleep, doesn’t matter what time I get up.’
“I agreed at that time that I would switch over to the propofol.”
Tragically, it was ultimately found that Jackson had taken eight lorazepam tablets the night he died, which, combined with even a lower dose of propofol (Murray administered 25 milligrams of propofol instead of the usual 50 on the night of Jackson’s death) was enough to kill him.
Murray’s defense in court centered around the fact that he could not have known what was already in MJ’s system when he administered the propofol.
“When Dr. Murray left the room, Jackson self-administered a dose of propofol that, with the lorazepam, created a perfect storm in his body that ultimately killed him,” Murray’s lawyer said.
“The whole thing is tragic, but the evidence is not that Dr. Murray did it.”
READ MORE
- Viewers all spot the same disturbing detail from the attempted Trump shooting
- Man who discovered America’s ‘most inbred family’ says ‘they’ve been lying to me the whole time’
