Prescription to Die
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Michael Jackson
The drama of Michael Jackson's prescription drug addiction is unfolding at this writing. Though the initial cause of death cited by the coroner's office on June 25, 2009, was cardiac arrest, it soon became clear that drugs were played a big part in the departure of the King of Pop. Jackson has had a known addiction to prescription drugs since the early 1990s, while he was being investigated for child sexual abuse. He was said to have been given Valium, itself an addictive drug, in an attempt to wean him off of DF-118, a painkiller. The New York Times reported that Jackson had been receiving one shot of Demerol a day for some time, causing his family to become concerned and plan an intervention. He had acquiesced and gone to an outpatient program recently, according to the Times article.
Even sadder is the possibility that Jackson's death may have been the result of a careless mistake: Murray had allegedly fallen asleep after administering the Propofol. Were it not for that, the King of Pop might still be alive.
