There's a tacky old sexist joke that goes something like this:
Q: Why do men typically die five years before their wives?
A: Because they want to.
Hearing more about the tortured final years and months of Michael Jackson's life, I can't help but thinking the reason he died this week at age 50, is because at least somewhere inside of him, he wanted to.
I offer that speculation because of the contrast between how Jackson was living, and what he was planning to do next in his life. ABC News is reporting today that the singer was addicted to OxyContin, a wicked strong pain medication:
How powerful is it?
Add to that the reports today that he was also getting daily shots of Demerol, and you're talking about a person in the deep throes of an excruciating and debilitating addiction. People who saw Jackson in the final weeks of his life say he had undergone a frightening weight loss, and appeared more frail than ever.
And yet, what was he going to be doing in a few weeks? Launching a series of 50 arena concerts in a foreign country, each one demanding two hours of full scale singing and dancing. It would be a difficult task for a 50-year-old in perfect health. Knowing what we know now about Jackson's physical state, it must have seemed all but impossible that he could pull it off.
Somewhere, deep down, he must have known that himself. With the pressure building, and the addiction raging, something had to give. Yes, it's a tragedy that this immensely talented person has left us. But maybe, just maybe, it brought a merciful end to Michael Jackson's pain and loneliness, before it all got even worse.
He was too energetic, dynamic, quick, explosive, innovative and dynamite for his own good. I saw him struggling slightly during the Michael Jackson 30th anniversary tribute. His performance had gone from an A+ to A- and that was almost TEN YEARS AGO. How in the world was he supposed to keep that up as an older man?
Yes, thank goodness his death was somewhat merciful. He probably would have preferred that to something more humiliating that was in store for him if he had tried to do those 50 shows.
probably thought to himself.. hell with you all...
I earned it.. so I spent it!
you can get the pickings..
when he announced he was doing these concerts- thought, what are they thinking??/ he's Not fit to do this.. as anyone whose seen his concerts can attest- he expends so much energy & of himself in each concert.. & he was younger then too.
50 concerts??? that's a death sentence!!!
At age 50 it must have been tough for him to accept that he would never get to live the childhood he deserved.