Michael Jackson's health and appearance

From Jackopedia

Michael Jackson in May 1984. He had a third rhinoplasty several months before this photograph was taken.

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American musician and entertainer who spent over forty years in the public eye, first as a child star with the Jackson 5, and later as a solo artist.

From the mid-1980s it became clear that Jackson's appearance was changing dramatically. His skin tone became lighter, his nose and facial shape changed, and he lost weight. The lighter skin tone was initially caused by vitiligo and lupus—with which Jackson was diagnosed in 1986—and his use of make-up to cover the blotched skin. Surgeons speculated he also had a rhinoplasty, a forehead lift, cheekbone surgery, and altered his lips.^[1] Those close to the singer say that, by 1990, he had undergone around ten procedures.

Jackson and some of his siblings said they had been physically and emotionally abused by their father, and in 2003, his father admitted whipping Jackson as a child.^[2] Jackson rarely spoke about it, but when he did, he became very emotional and said he would throw up before meeting his father. Mental health experts said he had the mind of a regressed ten-year-old, while other physicians said he suffered from body dysmorphic disorder. Dr. Deepak Chopra, a friend of Jackson's for 20 years, said: "What became his compulsion with cosmetic surgery was an expression of self-mutilation, a total lack of respect for himself."^[3]

At some point during the 1990s, it appears that Jackson became dependent on prescription drugs, mainly painkillers and strong sedatives, and his health deteriorated dramatically. He went into rehab in 1993 with the help of Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John,^[4] but the addiction remained. He died of cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009.

[edit] Vitiligo and lupus, treatments and effects

Jackson two years after he was diagnosed with vitiligo, pictured in the early stages of the disease

Jackson's skin was a medium-brown color throughout his youth, but, starting in the mid 1980s, his skin gradually grew more pale. This change gained widespread media coverage, including rumors that Jackson was bleaching his skin.^[5] However, in the mid-1980s, Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo and lupus, the latter of which is potentially lethal but was in remission in Jackson's case. Both conditions made Jackson sensitive to overexposure to sunlight, which could have caused his lupus condition to reawaken.^[6] To treat both these conditions Jackson used Solaquin, Tretinoin and Benoquin. He also had hydroxychloroquine injected directly into his scalp regularly.^[6] Taraborrelli stated that the treatments he used for his condition further lightened his skin tone, and with the application of pancake makeup to even out his skin tone, he could appear very pale.^[6]

In February 1993, Jackson gave an unusually candid ninety-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey, his first televised interview since 1979. During this interview, he dismissed suggestions that he bleached his skin, admitting publicly for the first time that he had the illness. The interview was watched by 62 million Americans.^[7] It also started a public discourse on the topic of vitiligo, a relatively unknown condition before then.^{[5][8][9][10]} During the Australian leg of the HIStory World Tour, Jackson married his dermatologist's nurse, Deborah Jeanne Rowe.^[11][12] The pair first met in the mid-1980s, when Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo. She spent many years treating his illness as well as providing emotional support, and they built a strong friendship before becoming romantically involved.^[13] The couple divorced in 1999 and remained friends thereafter.^[14]

[edit] Cosmetic surgery and diet

The structure of his face changed too; several surgeons speculated that he had undergone multiple nasal surgeries, a forehead lift, thinned lips and a cheekbone surgery.^[1] In 1979, Jackson had his first rhinoplasty after breaking his nose during a complex dance routine. However, the surgery was not a complete success, and he complained of breathing difficulties that would affect his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who performed his second rhinoplasty as well as more throughout his career.^[15] Jackson had his third rhinoplasty in 1984, another in 1986, and had a cleft put in his chin.^[15]

Jackson wrote in his 1988 autobiography Moonwalk that he only had two rhinoplastic surgeries and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin.^[16] In the book, he attributed the change in the structure of his face to puberty, a strict vegetarian diet, weight loss, a change in hair style and stage lighting.^[16] Jackson denied allegations that he had altered his eyes.^[17] By 1990, the full extent of Jackson's surgery was unknown; those close to the singer estimated he had undergone ten operations on his face up to this point.^[6] In June 1992, the Daily Mirror ran a full, front page picture, allegedly of Jackson's face, which they described as "hideously disfigured" by plastic surgery. Jackson sued the tabloid and in 1998 they agreed to an out of court settlement with Jackson. At the High Court, the paper's former editor acknowledged that after meeting the singer in person, he believed that Jackson was neither hideously disfigured nor scarred. A Daily Mirror solicitor maintained that the publication did not tamper with the picture.^[18]

[edit] Health concerns

Life and death of Michael Jackson Aug 29, 1958: Born in Gary, Indiana. 1964: Starts performing with Jackson 5. 1971: 1st solo album, Got to Be There. 1972: 2nd solo album, Ben; The song of the same name became his first US #1 in Billboard Hot 100 charts. 1979: Off the Wall; broke his nose, first rhinoplasty. early 1980s: Appearance starts to change. 1982: Thriller. Mar 25, 1983. First performance of the moonwalk. Jan 1984: Burns his scalp filming Pepsi ad; starts using painkillers; third rhinoplasty. May 14, 1984: Honored by Pres. Reagan for charity work. 1986: Vitiligo and lupus diagnosis; fourth rhinoplasty and cleft chin. 1987: Bad. 1988: Moves into Neverland. Apr 1988: Moonwalk published. Apr 5, 1990: Honored by Pres. Bush for charity work. 1991: Dangerous Sep 30, 1992: Heal the World Foundation launched. May 1992: Befriends Jordan Chandler, 13. Jul 1993: Surgery to fix scalp after 1984 burn; given painkillers. Aug 18, 1993: LAPD investigaton after Chandler says he was molested. Nov 13, 1993: Cancels Dangerous tour; checks into rehab in London for analgesia abuse. Winter 1993: La Toya publicly accuses him of pedophilia; she later retracts. Jan 1, 1994. Settles with Chandlers for $10–22 million. May 26, 1994: Marries Lisa Marie Presley. 1995: HIStory. Jan 1996: Presley files for divorce. Sep 7, 1996: HIStory tour begins. Nov 14, 1996: Marries Debbie Rowe. Feb 13, 1997: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. born to Rowe. Apr 3, 1998: Paris-Michael Katherine born to Rowe. 2001: Final album, Invincible. Feb 2002: Prince Michael Jackson II born to unidentified surrogate. Nov 18, 2003: 70 police officers raid Neverland. Dec 18, 2003: Jackson charged with molestation of Arvizo. Jan 2004: Friends say he again becomes addicted to painkillers. Jan 31, 2005. People v. Jackson begins. Jun 13, 2005. Not guilty verdict. Mar 10, 2009: Announces This is It tour to begin in July. Jun 25, 2009: Dies, cardiac arrest. Jul 7, 2009: Memorial in Los Angeles; watched by over 1 billion people. This box: view • talk • edit

[edit] Childhood and mental health

Jackson and some of his siblings stated that they were physically and mentally abused by their father Joseph from a young age, through incessant rehearsals, whippings and the use of derogatory names such as "big nose" for Jackson. This abuse had affected Jackson through all his life.^[19] In one altercation—later recalled by Marlon Jackson—Joseph held Michael Jackson upside down by one leg and "pummelled him over and over again with his hand, hitting him on his back and buttocks".^[20] Joseph would often trip the male children or push them into walls.^[20] One night while Jackson was asleep, Joseph climbed into his room through the bedroom window. Wearing a fright mask, he entered the room screaming and shouting. Joseph said he wanted to teach his children not to leave the window open when they went to sleep. For a number of years afterward, Jackson suffered nightmares about being kidnapped from his bedroom.^[20] By the early 1980s, he was deeply unhappy; Jackson explained, "Even at home, I'm lonely. I sit in my room sometimes and cry. It's so hard to make friends...I sometimes walk around the neighborhood at night, just hoping to find someone to talk to. But I just end up coming home."^[21]

Although it had been reported for a number of years that Jackson had an abusive childhood, he first spoke openly about it in his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He grimaced when speaking of the childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood years, admitting that he often cried from loneliness.^[5][8][9] In the same interview, speaking of his father, Jackson said, "There were times when he'd come to see me, I'd get sick...I'd start to regurgitate. I'm sorry...Please don't be mad at me...But I do love him."^[22] In Jackson's other high profile interview Living with Michael Jackson (2003), the singer covered his face with his hand and began crying when talking about his childhood abuse.^[20] Jackson recalled that Joseph sat in a chair as the group rehearsed, saying, "He had this belt in his hand. If you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you. It was bad. Real bad."^[23]

In 2003, the singer was accused of child sexual abuse and was acquitted two years later. During the investigation, Jackson's profile was examined by mental health professional, Dr. Stan Katz. The doctor spent several hours with the accuser as well. According to J. Randy Taraborrelli, the assessment made by Katz was that Jackson had become a regressed ten-year-old.^[24] Some medical professionals have publicly stated their belief that the singer also had body dysmorphic disorder, a psychological condition whereby the sufferer has no concept of how they are perceived by others.^[6]

[edit] Weight and drug addiction

Changes to his face were, in part, due to periods of significant weight loss.^[25] Jackson became slimmer in the early 1980s because of a change in diet and a desire for "a dancer's body".^[15] By 1984, Jackson had lost 20 pounds (9.1 kg), bringing his weight to 105 pounds (48 kg) for 5 foot 11, the slimmest he had ever been as an adult.^[26] Witnesses reported that Jackson was often dizzy and speculated that he was suffering from anorexia nervosa.^[26] Following accusations of child molestation in 1993, Jackson stopped eating, losing even more weight.^[27] In late 1995, Jackson was rushed to a hospital after collapsing during rehearsals for a televised performance (which was subsequently cancelled); the incident was caused by a stress-related panic attack.^[28] The BBC reported that during his 2005 trial, the singer again suffered from stress-related illnesses and severe weight loss.^[29]

In 1993, the entertainer admitted taking painkillers, Valium, Xanax and Ativan to deal with the stress of the child sexual abuse allegations made against him.^[30] A few months after the allegations became news, Jackson had lost approximately 10 pounds (4.5 kg) in weight and had stopped eating.^[27] In a court deposition unrelated to alleged child abuse, Jackson was visibly drowsy, lacked concentration and repeatedly slurred while speaking. He could not remember the dates of his prior album releases or names of people he had worked with. It took him several minutes to name some of his recent albums.^[31]

Jackson's health had deteriorated to the extent that he canceled the remainder of his tour and flew with friends Elizabeth Taylor and her husband to London. When the singer arrived at the airport, he had to be held up by his two friends; he was then rushed to the home of Elton John's manager and then to a clinic.^[4][32] He was searched for drugs on entry; vials of medicine were found in a suitcase. He took over the fourth floor of the hospital and was put on Valium IV to wean him from painkillers.^[4][32] The singer's spokesperson then told reporters that Jackson was "barely able to function adequately on an intellectual level".^[4][32] While in the clinic, Jackson took part in group and one-on-one therapy sessions.^[32] According to Taraborrelli, in January 2004, as his trial approached, Jackson became dependent on morphine and Demerol.^[33]

[edit] Death

Following Jackson's death, reports of his use of pethidine (Demerol) surfaced.^[34] Propofol (Diprivan), a powerful anesthetic normally used only in hospitals, was also recovered from his home.^[35] In addition to pethidine and propofol, he is believed to have used Xanax, Prilosec, Soma, Vicodin, Paxil, Dilaudid, Zoloft, and Oxycontin.

Cherilyn Lee, a nurse who provided nutritional counseling to Jackson, said that he asked her in May 2008 to supply him with propofol for his chronic insomnia.^[35] Lee refused, telling him, "Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication ... is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up." Jackson dismissed the warning, telling her he had been given the drug before, by IV injection, and that his doctor told him it was safe.^[36] He did not name the doctor. An overdose of propofol can cause the patient to stop breathing, leading to a shortage of oxygen and a buildup of carbon dioxide in the body which can lead to arrhythmias and cardiac arrest.^[36]

According to Lee, she received a frantic call on June 21, 2009 from an aide on Jackson's staff. The aide reported that Jackson was feeling ill. Lee reported overhearing Jackson complain that one side of his body was hot, the other side cold. She believed that somebody had given him something that affected his central nervous system. She advised the aide to take him to hospital.^[35][36] Lee told the AP, "He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out."^[35]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Campbell, Lisa (1995). Michael Jackson: The King of Pop's Darkest Hour. Branden. ISBN 0828320039. 
• George, Nelson (2004). Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection booklet. Sony BMG.
• Jackson, Michael (1988). Moon Walk. Doubleday. ISBN 0385247125. 
• Lewis, Jel (2005). Michael Jackson, the King of Pop;: The Big Picture: the Music! the Man! the Legend! the Interviews!. Amber Books Publishing. ISBN 0-974977-90-X. 
• Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Terra Alta, WV: Headline. ISBN 0-330-42005-4.