The e-mails detail concerns over Michael Jackson's health by those around him in the days and weeks before his death
New York:
A trove of leaked emails have revealed that in the days before his death Michael Jackson was a 'basket case' with the director and promoters of his comeback tour worried about his health.
The emails detail concerns over the 50-year-old pop icon's health by those around him in the days and weeks beforehis death, reported New York Daily News.
Kenny Ortega, the director of his ill-fated This Is Itcomeback tour, sent an email in the predawn hours of June 20,2009, telling promoter Randy Phillips, the head of AEG Live,that Jackson appeared too "weak and fatigued" to rehearse theprevious night, "trembling, rambling and obsessing" so muchthat Ortega recommended a psychological exam.
Ortega fired off another email 11 hours later, saying, "Ihonestly felt if I had encouraged or allowed him on stage lastnight he could have hurt himself."
Phillips responded: "You cannot imagine the harm andramifications of stopping the show now... Please stay steady.Enough alarms have sounded. It is time to put out the fire,not burn the building down."
The 250 pages of emails were sent in the run-up toJackson's death in June 2009 and the months after. The emailsare expected to play a central role in two lawsuits - oneinvolving Jackson's heirs suing AEG for wrongful death.The other is a battle over the USD 17.5 million insurancepolicy that Lloyds of London wants rejected due to Jackson'salleged ailments.
A lawyer for AEG said the leaked emails were"cherry-picked" from more than 40,000 documents in an effortto "misguide" the public.
The emails detail concerns over the 50-year-old pop icon's health by those around him in the days and weeks beforehis death, reported New York Daily News.
Kenny Ortega, the director of his ill-fated This Is Itcomeback tour, sent an email in the predawn hours of June 20,2009, telling promoter Randy Phillips, the head of AEG Live,that Jackson appeared too "weak and fatigued" to rehearse theprevious night, "trembling, rambling and obsessing" so muchthat Ortega recommended a psychological exam.
Ortega fired off another email 11 hours later, saying, "Ihonestly felt if I had encouraged or allowed him on stage lastnight he could have hurt himself."
Phillips responded: "You cannot imagine the harm andramifications of stopping the show now... Please stay steady.Enough alarms have sounded. It is time to put out the fire,not burn the building down."
The 250 pages of emails were sent in the run-up toJackson's death in June 2009 and the months after. The emailsare expected to play a central role in two lawsuits - oneinvolving Jackson's heirs suing AEG for wrongful death.The other is a battle over the USD 17.5 million insurancepolicy that Lloyds of London wants rejected due to Jackson'salleged ailments.
A lawyer for AEG said the leaked emails were"cherry-picked" from more than 40,000 documents in an effortto "misguide" the public.
