Michael Jackson had to be force fed as he prepared for his series of comeback gigs, it has been revealed.
Randy Phillips — the boss of AEG Live, who was behind the 50 shows at London’s O2 Arena — said the singer’s calorie intake plunged to dangerous lows in the days before his death.
Phillips claims he and director Kenny Ortega had to cut Jacko’s food up into bite-sized potions so he could be fed quickly.
“He used to forget to eat because he was so focused and Kenny Ortega and I used to cut up his food and physically feed him,” Randy said.
“Frail, he certainly wasn’t. He was always very thin but not to the point where he couldn’t perform. He really kicked into high gear and was totally engaged in the last two weeks. Before that he was nervous and not really coming to rehearsals.
“But that was his schedule and that was how he wanted to do things.
“It was like when you revise the day before an exam — that was the way he operated.
“Michael did not have a grueling schedule– he had Michael’s schedule. He didn’t need to rehearse that much. He was so talented that he didn’t need to.
“When he started dancing, he was dancing better than the best 20-year-old dancers in the world. He was that good.
“He did a three-hour rehearsal and we all finished up at 12.30am on Thursday morning. He was really excited.
“He was super-charged and did a group hug with the director Kenny Ortega and his manager. He was like a kid in the candy store — he was so up for it.
“I walked him out to the car and he put his arm around me and, speaking softly like he always does, he said to me: ‘Do you know what – we are here, we are going to make it. I love you for doing this and now I know I can do it.”
“That was the last thing he said to me and I never heard from him again.”
Phillips also hit back at Jackson’s so-called friend David Gest, who suggested last weekend the promoters were to blame for his death and that Michael wasn’t up to the task.
“I like the way David claims to be a pal — but I’ve certainly never met him. Listen, we were always going to put on 10 shows first.
“Neither Michael nor I knew how the public were going to react. But the pre-sales went mad and I remember picking up the phone to his manager and saying whether we could add more London shows because the demand was so great.
“He got off the phone, asked Michael and called me back and said ‘yes’.
“Michael then called me and said ‘Randy how long am I going to stay in London?’ And I said: ‘Long enough to qualify for a British passport.’
“And his biggest concern was not that he was doing 50 shows but that the Guinness Book of Records knew that he was going to break the all-time record.”
Jackson, 50, died Thursday (June 25) after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, Jackson’s will was filed in court.
The Jackson family on Wednesday insisted Michael won’t be buried at his famous Neverland ranch.
“Contrary to previous news reports, the Jackson family is officially stating that there will be no public or private viewing at Neverland,” a rep for the family said.
“Plans are underway regarding a public memorial for Michael Jackson, and we will announce those plans shortly.”
Recent Comments