London: A day after megastar Michael Jackson's death, rumours and theories are swirling. Jackson died on Thursday in Los Angeles of a cardiac arrest. But details are now emerging of what may have triggered that. A new report quotes a close Jackson aide and says the pop icon was terrified of his forthcoming London tour.
The report in UK's The Sun says:
"There were serious concerns for his mental health near the end - so much so that he was seeing a psychiatrist. He said he was being pushed into a corner and had an irrational fear that he would die or be killed if he didn't perform in London. He kept saying that he had to do the concerts because he owed too much money. But all the time he was saying these things, his body was starting to shut down as he became more and more dependent on drugs."
PTI adds: Jackson's aides became increasingly concerned about his mood swings in the days before his death. One moment he would be excited, energetic and full of enthusiasm for his tour but the next he would sit staring into space and refuse to respond to anyone around him, the report said.
"Michael was convinced that if he didn't perform in London he would die. He would say, 'They will kill me', but no one ever really understood who he was talking about. He seemed paranoid," another source added.
"I owe money everywhere. They will kill me if I don't sing in London," Jackson had reportedly told his staff.
Jackson was hopeful that the London shows will revive his flagging career and boost his tarnished image. He needed an estimated 50 million pounds which he was set to make from the shows.
The singer was reportedly under the debt of $ 500 million.
Jackson family's lawyer Brian Oxman has already blamed his "enablers" for pushing him too hard. "This was something I feared and something which I warned about," Oxman had said.
Former producer and friend of the singer, Tarak Ben Ammar also claimed the hypochondriac star had previously been a victim of "charlatan doctors".
"He was a hypochondriac and one never really knew if he was sick because he had become surrounded by charlatans who were billing him thousands of dollars' worth of drugs, vitamins," Ammar said.