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The premiere episode on November 28th focuses on Dr. Conrad Murray’s catastrophic story – a classic case where the aura of celebrity may have clouded the doctor’s better judgment.
Michael Jackson was indeed, the King of Pop. While he may have had a tarnished personal life, as a musician and entertainer, he did exactly that: entertain. Throughout the ’70s, ’80s, and into the ’90s, his music was everywhere. From “Thriller,” “Bad,” and “Dangerous,” his music was celebrated worldwide and made him a household name. All of that would change however on June 25th, 2009, when at exactly 2:26 pm at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, he was pronounced dead. The world was in shock but as the sad news gradually began to sink in, people wanted answers and one question was on everyone’s mind, why?
On the verge of a major comeback with a new tour titled “This Is It,” Jackson was ready to prove to everyone that he still had what made him famous in the first place; catchy tunes, undeniable rhythm, and dynamite moves. But as claims of medical negligence began to surface, everybody began to turn their attention to Jackson’s personal physician, Conrad Murray. The soft-spoken doctor, originally from St. Andrews, Grenada, who had a practice in Las Vegas, previously helped Jackson when he was in town and his children had the flu. Jackson remembered him and suffering from chronic and acute insomnia and pain from a pyrotechnics accident he suffered while filming a Pepsi commercial years earlier which caused second-degree burns to his scalp, he offered Murray $150,000 a month to be his personal physician and to accompany him on his “This Is It” tour, which would travel from London to Paris, New York City, and Mumbai.
Naturally, Murray accepted his very lucrative offer which also included accommodations, airfare and meals but only then, did he realize just how dependent Jackson had become on drugs and prescription painkillers. Meds such as demerol, lorazepam, midazolam, diazepam, lidocaine, and the general anesthetic propofol, which he used to help him sleep and which it is claimed, is the drug that contributed to Jackson’s death.
Jackson’s comeback tour was also to be his last, with him claiming that he would be retiring afterwards but with an estimated fifty concerts scheduled, many of his family members and close friends wondered how he would pull it off, considering that he suffered from exhaustion after simple rehearsals. With his progressive reliance on pain meds, Murray, it appears, was in no position to say no to Jackson because he was being paid handsomely for his time and services, even though technically, he was the one in charge, he knew what he could administer and in the proper dosages, not Jackson. With a mortgage that hadn’t been paid in over six months and unpaid child support and tax debts for eight children with seven different women, many assume that Murray’s financial stress could have led to unsafe treatments for Jackson, which ultimately culminated in his death.
This case is another tragic example of how a celebrity’s tumultuous style of living can eclipse the professional rationale of those caught in the commotion. This particular situation has occurred in many other high-profile cases, including that of Anna Nicole Smith & her personal physician, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Elvis Presley and Dr. George C. Nichopoulos, both of which will appear on future episodes of “Dr. Feelgood.”
While losing Michael Jackson was a tragic loss for millions of fans worldwide, the fault can’t all be placed on the shoulders of Conrad Murray, he did what was asked by his employer and while he most certainly crossed lines that he shouldn’t have, part of the blame lies with Jackson himself. I find it impossible to believe that with the amount of medication he was ingesting, and with him adding more and more almost daily, that he never once stopped to think about the effects they were having on him and his body and by the time that probably happened, sadly, it was too late.
Premieres tonight at 10/9c on the Reelz Channel
Dr. Feelgood | Movie Trailer | Review
