Michael Jackson, the Pepsi accident, and drug addiction
Did Jackson become addicted to painkillers after being badly burned?
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Now we know how Michael Jackson became a drug addict, said Us Magazine. The King of Pop was "never the same" after his Pepsi commercial accident, during which his head burst into flames (watch the video). "To relieve the second- and third-degree burns on his scalp and body (and later to help him tolerate multiple surgeries on the scorched spot on his head), Jackson was prescribed several medications—which kicked off his addiction to painkillers and obsession with plastic surgery."
"With all the surgeries Michael had," said Michael Velardo in Examiner.com, "is it any wonder" that "he became addicted" to drugs? There was also the weight of his other problems—the "sex scandals," the "obsession with his appearance," his "total loss of privacy," and a borderline “abusive” father, among other things. "What is difficult to understand is why more people didn't take a proactive approach in convincing Michael that he needed help."
Michael Jackson's "tragedy was almost entirely self-made," said Bill Wyman in The Wall Street Journal. He had "an enormous fortune, a large family, and an extraordinary network of famous friends to help him cope" with his problems. But "instead of turning to them, he chose to run away from his art, become a drug addict, ruin his personal reputation," and "dismantle a towering fortune." What a "terrible waste."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The ‘ravenous’ demand for Cornish mineralsUnder the Radar Growing need for critical minerals to power tech has intensified ‘appetite’ for lithium, which could be a ‘huge boon’ for local economy
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day