Featured Image Credit: Justin Sullivan/Steve Granitz/Getty Images
Topics: Michael Jackson, Celebrity
Ben Thompson
Topics: Michael Jackson, Celebrity
Warning: This article contains discussion of drug addiction which some readers may find distressing.
It's been nearly fifteen years since Michael Jackson passed away - and his final words continue to be haunting.
The King of Pop dominated the charts for decades and made headlines for both his record-breaking career and controversial personal life.
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But on June 25, 2009, he made the news for a very different reason - when he died at the age of 50.
When the paramedics were first called to the Los Angeles mansion that Jackson was renting, it appeared to be a standard case of cardiac arrest.
But what came out in the subsequent years revealed that the case was anything but standard.
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For years, the singer had seemingly been dependant on a whole host of painkillers.
His dependency reportedly started in the 1980s, when his scalp was burnt in a fire while filming a Pepsi commercial.
This led to him taking a substantial amount of painkillers to deal with the pain.
Despite going to rehab in 1993, Jackson would struggle with his addictions for the rest of his life.
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The Los Angeles County coroner later concluded that Jackson died from 'acute propofol intoxication'.
Propofol is an anaesthetic usually used in hospitals when patients are put under for surgeries.
Jackson had been using the drug to induce himself to sleep as he had insomnia.
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Given that he had a comeback tour on the way, he wanted to get his rest - and opted for the drug.
It was supplied to him by Dr Conrad Murray, who was later. sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
It was during his trial that Murray revealed what Jackson's final words were - repeated requests for 'milk'.
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This might make no sense out of context, but propofol has been called the 'milk of amnesia'.
Murray also recorded some of Jackson's final pleas on his phone, in which the father-of-three can be heard saying: "Just make me sleep; it doesn’t matter what happens."
When Murray submitted to his employer's request, it would be the last time Jackson took propofol.
It's said that minutes later, he realized the singer was no longer breathing and sounded the alarm.
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Murray served around two years at a Los Angeles County jail and was released in October 2013.
His medical licenses in California, Nevada, and Texas were suspended after he was convicted.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can call American Addiction Centers on (313) 209-9137 24/7, or contact them through their website.