What Really Caused Michael Jackson’s Death?

There has been much speculation by the media, the general public, and even family members surrounding the recent and untimely death of pop superstar Michael Jackson.  Unfortunately, there is also a great deal of misinformation making its way through the grapevine.  So, what really happened that fateful day, and just how did Michael Jackson really die?

Many of the details of the Michael Jackson death are still unknown as he was (allegedly) alone at the time of his death, but it is well known that he had been using general surgical anesthesia to sleep for quite some time.  A long-term sufferer of chronic insomnia, Jackson came to rely on the drug to sleep.  Jackson traveled with his own personal doctor, Conrad Murray, who administered propofol whenever Jackson felt the need to sleep.  The drug is legally not allowed to be administered outside of a hospital setting for safety reasons, yet many bottles were found in the home following the superstar’s death, raising questions about whether Murray could be charged with manslaughter for allowing Jackson to take the drug at home. 

What is known about the day that Michael Jackson died is that Murray had recently administered propofol to the superstar to help him sleep.  Murray stepped away to speak on the phone for a questionable amount of time, and returned to find Michael Jackson unconscious and unresponsive.  Multiple phone calls were made before help was summoned, and Murray claims to have performed CPR while Jackson was on the bed, despite longstanding medical wisdom that the patient needs to be on a hard surface for CPR to be effective. 

It is also thought that Murray spent time removing drug bottles from the scene which could be used as evidence, rather than helping the dying superstar.  By the time help arrived, it was far too late for the icon. 

There is much speculation about whether the children bore witness to the death of their father, whether Murray actually played an active role in the death of Michael Jackson, and even whether or not he is really gone.  Given Jackson’s long history of deceiving the public in order to create speculation and myths regarding himself  – such as the rumor that he slept in an oxygen chamber every night – many die-hard fans think that the pressures of super-stardom finally became too much for the star, and his highly publicized death was just a cover to allow him to escape the lime-light. 

These theories fall apart when seen in the light that Jackson was a father, and left behind not only a large, grieving family, but also two young children, a girl and a boy – ‘Blanket’ Jackson and Paris Jackson.  Given the devotion that Jackson has previously shown his children, faking his own death would be a traumatic event that no father should ever put his own children through – in theory.

Many new answers will certainly come to light in the upcoming trials of Murray as the distraught public searches for someone to point the finger at, but this case it can be seen that fame – and the accompanying stresses and strains that come with it – could be spotlighted as the real cause of Jackson’s early death. Whatever verdict is ruled, the case is bound to be one that is shrouded in mystery for the rest of time.