The autopsy of Michael Jackson, who died on June 25, 2009, exposed a series of health issues he had been battling at the time of his death, including a skin-changing disease and scarred lungs. The King of Pop would have celebrated his 68th birthday today, Saturday, August 29.
Jackson went into cardiac arrest at a rented mansion in the Holmby Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California, and died at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He was 50 years old and passed away less than a month before he was set to launch a 50-date residency at London's O2 Arena, which would have marked his first live shows in 12 years.
Cause of Death and Drug Dependency
His cause of death was acute propofol poisoning, which he had been using as a sleeping aid for nearly a decade. Jackson's personal doctor, Dr Conrad Murray, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for giving the fatal dose and completed two years of a four-year jail term.
The post-mortem examination laid bare the physical damage that his drug abuse had wreaked on his body, revealing secrets he had managed to conceal from the media for years.
Glued-On Wig and Scalp Burns
Retired forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd, who has conducted numerous high-profile post-mortems including examinations into the deaths of Princess Diana, Jill Dando and casualties from the 9/11 and 7/7 terror attacks, studied Jackson's autopsy. He told Autopsy: The Last Hours of Michael Jackson: "Jackson's hair is not his own, he's wearing a wig. It's held on by semi-permanent glue and there are some sparse areas of his own hair on the sides and the back of his head."
He added: "His scalp reveals the reason for his baldness. There's an area of scarring on the top of the back of his head, and this scarring is consistent with a burn." In 1984, Jackson was shooting a Pepsi advert when a pyrotechnic device ignited his hair, causing second and third degree burns to his scalp. The mishap sparked a dependency on painkillers while recovering, which eventually became gateway substances, leading to reliance on sedatives, alcohol, anti-anxiety medication and morphine.
Condom Catheter and Enlarged Prostate
The post-mortem also disclosed that Jackson had an enlarged prostate, which might indicate he needed to use the lavatory more frequently, particularly at night. Ed Winter, Assistant Chief at the LA Coroner Department, revealed: "Michael had a condom catheter that he used during his sleep time so that he did not have to wake up or be woken up to go in and use the bathroom."
A condom catheter is an external urine collection device worn over the penis like a condom, connected via a small tube to a drainage bag strapped to the leg. Dr Murray later alleged that he assisted Jackson in putting on the device every night, claiming the singer suffered from urinary incontinence, lack of physical sensation and dripping after using the bathroom.
Damaged Lungs and Other Conditions
While most of Jackson's organs seemed in reasonable condition for someone in his 50s, his lungs were the striking exception. Dr Shepherd compared them to "a battlefield", explaining: "Most of his organs were in good condition for his age, the exception was his lungs and they were like a battlefield. The lining of the airways showed a lot of damage and both lungs showed widespread inflammation and quite extensive scarring."
He added: "For Michael Jackson it would have made it harder to exert himself and he would have fatigued more easily. The next question I would want to ask, is what has caused all this damage." It is believed Jackson suffered from discoid lupus, a rare autoimmune condition that can cause hair loss and damage to the lips, and may harm internal organs if it advances. Dr Shepherd noted: "Lupus is an autoimmune disease, and these disease occur when the body attacks parts of itself. Occurrence can be triggered by a number of things - stress, exertion, lack of sleep." X-rays also revealed he was battling osteoarthritis in several fingers and his spine.
Skin Tone Transformation and Vitiligo
The post-mortem confirmed that Jackson genuinely suffered from vitiligo, a chronic skin disorder that causes patches of skin to lose their natural pigmentation. Dr Shepherd explained: "You can see from the autopsy that just as Jackson maintained, he did have a skin condition. In the darker areas, there are lighter blotches, and it appears that in these lighter blotches, the skin had stopped producing pigment."
He added: "Without these, the skin is pale. And that explains Jackson's appearance. And it's consistent with a disease called vitiligo." Despite this, evidence at the location uncovered substantial quantities of a skin-lightening medication called Benoquin, a powerful substance used to permanently strip skin colour in individuals with widespread vitiligo.
