Why Michael Jackson asked for 'milk' just before he died
Here is the reason why Michael Jackson requested milk shortly before his death in June 2009.
Over 25 years on from his death and interest in Jackson, his life and legacy has once again surfaced in the media, following the release of divisive biopic Michael, which has received backlash from Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed over the omission of various child abuse allegations against the singer.
Jackson's estate is also facing a new lawsuit from the Cascio family, who allege the singer had repeatedly sexually assaulted them.
Despite allegations of child abuse spanning as far back as 1993, the 'Thriller' singer was never convicted.
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Nevertheless, the topic remains one of contention, with Channel 4 releasing a four-part series on the subject earlier this year.
What were Michael Jackson's final words?
The singer's final words were revealed during the trial of his personal doctor, Conrad Murray, who was accused of involuntary manslaughter after Jackson's death.
During the trial, Murray revealed that he'd been giving Jackson regular doses of propofol every night to help him sleep.
On the night of 25 June, 2009, Murray had administered 25 milligrams of the sedative, lower than his usual dose of 50 milligrams, as he had taken other medication that night.
Recalling Jackson's final words, Murray revealed that Jackson had asked for 'milk', saying the following: "Please, please give me some milk so that I can sleep, because I know that this is all that really works for me."
He explained that 'milk' had been Jackson's name for propofol, which is often nicknamed 'milk of amnesia'.
'Just make me sleep'
"This is just a medicine that he was familiar with, it’s called propofol," Murray said. "He said 'Just make me sleep, doesn’t matter what time I get up'.
"I agreed at that time that I would switch over to the propofol."
Murray then went on to explain that he'd left the singer's bedroom for two minutes to use the bathroom, only to find him not breathing upon return.
He called emergency services, and paramedics rushed over and attempted to perform CPR on Jackson.
Unfortunately, they could not resuscitate him, and two hours after Murray's 911 call, the legendary singer was pronounced dead.
However, it was later revealed that the singer had taken eight tablets of the sedative lorazepam on the night of his death, meaning that the lower dose of propofol was still enough to be fatal.
Murray's defence stated that these tablets were taken while he was outside of Jackson's room, meaning there was no way for him to have known when he administered the propofol.
"When Dr. Murray left the room, Jackson self-administered a dose of propofol that, with the lorazepam, created a perfect storm in his body that ultimately killed him," his lawyer argued.
"The whole thing is tragic, but the evidence is not that Dr. Murray did it."
However, a judge would later rule that Jackson had 'misplaced trust in the hands of Murray cost Jackson his life,' seeing the physician sentenced to four years behind bars, of which he served two.
Topics: Michael Jackson, Music, Celebrity, Health
Brenna Cooper