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Before his 2009 This Is It Tour, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson was a mere shadow of his former self during the rehearsals. The This Is It concert residency was scheduled to take place at the O2 Arena in London between July 13, 2009 and March 6, 2010; however, it was canceled following the sudden and tragic death of the pop star.
His final moments before his death were detailed in a book, 83 Minutes: The Doctor, the Damage, and the Shocking Death of Michael Jackson, by Mark Langthorne and Matt Richards. In the book, the authors shared the facts about the singer to make it clear to everyone around him that the tour, and possibly his life, was doomed. During an interview with People in 2016, Langthorne shared, “The most surprising thing we learned [in writing the book] is that people thought the This is It tour was ever going to happen. Jackson was in no state to perform…and the reality of doing 50 shows in London was absurd. But the entourage of ‘yes’ people created an arena of unreality.”
It was revealed in the book that with the comeback concerts set to begin on July 8, 2009, Jackson was only sporadically adhering to the demanding rehearsal schedule. He was drained by chronic insomnia, relying increasingly on the powerful anesthesia Propofol, which was administered through an IV by his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray. Furthermore, the combination of Propofol at night, regular doses of the narcotic Demerol from his dermatologist, and frequent use of benzodiazepines left the singer often unable to communicate properly with his closest friends, and he repeatedly made little sense during conversations.
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