The King of Pop’s Final Words and Last Days Revealed in New Memoir originally appeared on Parade.
The King of Pop passed away 16 years ago, and now one of his close friends is opening up about the star’s final days.
Before his tragic death, Michael Jackson was preparing for his highly anticipated This Is It concert residency, which was set to run from July 2009 to March 2010. But the 50-year-old singer never got to see it through — he died just one month before the first show.
Now, Jackson’s longtime friend and personal attorney, John Mason, is sharing what he witnessed in those final weeks.
In his new memoir, Crazy Lucky: Remarkable Stories from Inside the World of Celebrity Icons, Mason offers an inside look at Jackson’s condition leading up to his death.
“In 2009, I was living in Reno when I got a call from someone who told me that Michael was in ‘really bad shape,’ Mason wrote, according to Radar Online. “He was trying to tour again, but he had collapsed onstage during rehearsals. Yet, he was back at it the next day. Michael was Michael.”
As concerns about Jackson’s health mounted, he was also battling severe insomnia. Concert promoter AEG reportedly brought in Dr. Conrad Murray to help manage his condition.
Murray allegedly began administering nightly doses of propofol — a anesthetic typically used in surgery — to help the singer sleep.
According to Mason, Jackson’s last words were, “I can’t function if I don’t sleep. They’ll have to cancel it. And I don’t want them to cancel it.”
Dr. Murray was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter. His Texas medical license was revoked, and his licenses in California and Nevada were suspended. Though sentenced to four years, he was released on parole after serving two.
Mason also claims Jackson was under immense financial pressure, nearing bankruptcy and at risk of losing his beloved Neverland Ranch. He says the medications were meant to help Jackson rest so he could keep performing — but the combination proved fatal.
The Grammy-winner died on June 25, 2009, from cardiac arrest caused by a lethal mix of sedatives and propofol.
Mason’s account adds to the ongoing speculation surrounding Jackson’s final days — though his recollections remain alleged.
The King of Pop’s Final Words and Last Days Revealed in New Memoir first appeared on Parade on Jun 25, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
