Speaking out for the first time since Michael Jackson's sudden death on June 25, the singer's sister LaToya Jackson, 53, is raising alarming allegations.
"Michael was murdered," LaToya claims in an exclusive interview with London newspaper the News of the World.
“We don't think just one person was involved in the murder," she added, refusing to name the people she believes are responsible for the death during her four-hour interview in L.A. “It was a conspiracy to get Michael's money."
According to LaToya, Jackson himself always feared for his life. "A couple of years ago Michael told me he was worried that people were out to get him,” she told the paper. "He said, 'They're gonna kill me for my publishing. They want my catalogues and they're gonna kill me for these.' "
In the months leading up to his London performances, Jackson told his sister that he was on a six-month detox to prepare for his comeback, but LaToya says she had other suspicions.
"Michael was being inappropriately treated by people who got him hooked on drugs,” she told the News of the World. "He had many needle marks on his neck and on his arms, and more about those will emerge in the next few weeks. But nothing has changed my mind that this was murder.”
And despite the family’s best efforts to reach out to Jackson recently, LaToya claims that those plotting against Jackson “tried to keep the family away at all times.”
LaToya is not the only family member who believes there was a conspiracy to take Jackson’s life. The family patriarch, Joe Jackson, echoed his daughter’s sentiments, telling ABC News on Friday, “I do believe it was foul play. I do believe that."
But while the tragedy has left the Jackson clan broken-hearted, "this has united the family," LaToya told the News. "We're all in pain and suffering the loss of Michael ... but we're also determined to get to the bottom of what happened to him."
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Latoya Jackson Interview
The grieving sister of superstar Michael Jackson last night blamed ‘a shadowy entourage’ of manipulative hangers-on for effectively ‘murdering’ the King of Pop.
In a moving and revealing interview, La Toya Jackson, who was closer to her vulnerable brother than anyone else and was asked to sign his death certificate, portrayed Michael as a lonely and isolated figure at the mercy of a money-motivated clique.
She accused them of cutting him off from his family and friends and forcing him, largely against his will, to sign up for the gruelling commitment of 50 concerts at London’s O2 arena.
She believes her brother was fed addictive drugs by handlers who wanted to control his moods. She says they regarded him as a ‘cash cow’ and exploited him at every turn. It was this, she believes, that led directly to his death.
Last week, Los Angeles police chief William Bratton confirmed that investigators had not ruled out homicide. Under Californian law, murder also covers killings that were not premeditated, which would be classed as manslaughter under the British legal system.
Though the formal state autopsy’s results will not be known for two weeks, La Toya has had a private autopsy conducted.
She received the results on Friday and although she won’t comment on the details until the police conclude their investigations, she did reveal that four fresh needle marks were found on Michael’s neck.
Fighting back tears, La Toya, 53, said: ‘I believe Michael was murdered, I felt that from the start. Not just one person was involved, rather it was a conspiracy of people.
He was surrounded by a bad circle. Michael was a very meek, quiet, loving person. People took advantage of that. People fought to be close to him, people who weren’t always on his side.
‘Less than a month ago, I said I thought Michael was going to die before the London shows because he was surrounded by people who didn’t have his best interests at heart.
‘Michael was worth more than a billion dollars. When anyone is worth that much money, there are always greedy people around them. I said to my family a month ago,
“He’s never going to make it to London.” He was worth more dead than alive.’
La Toya revealed Michael himself ‘never believed he would live to be an old man’ and feared he would die in his fifties.
In a moving and revealing interview, La Toya Jackson, who was closer to her vulnerable brother than anyone else and was asked to sign his death certificate, portrayed Michael as a lonely and isolated figure at the mercy of a money-motivated clique.
She accused them of cutting him off from his family and friends and forcing him, largely against his will, to sign up for the gruelling commitment of 50 concerts at London’s O2 arena.
She believes her brother was fed addictive drugs by handlers who wanted to control his moods. She says they regarded him as a ‘cash cow’ and exploited him at every turn. It was this, she believes, that led directly to his death.
Last week, Los Angeles police chief William Bratton confirmed that investigators had not ruled out homicide. Under Californian law, murder also covers killings that were not premeditated, which would be classed as manslaughter under the British legal system.
Though the formal state autopsy’s results will not be known for two weeks, La Toya has had a private autopsy conducted.
She received the results on Friday and although she won’t comment on the details until the police conclude their investigations, she did reveal that four fresh needle marks were found on Michael’s neck.
Fighting back tears, La Toya, 53, said: ‘I believe Michael was murdered, I felt that from the start. Not just one person was involved, rather it was a conspiracy of people.
He was surrounded by a bad circle. Michael was a very meek, quiet, loving person. People took advantage of that. People fought to be close to him, people who weren’t always on his side.
‘Less than a month ago, I said I thought Michael was going to die before the London shows because he was surrounded by people who didn’t have his best interests at heart.
‘Michael was worth more than a billion dollars. When anyone is worth that much money, there are always greedy people around them. I said to my family a month ago,
“He’s never going to make it to London.” He was worth more dead than alive.’
La Toya revealed Michael himself ‘never believed he would live to be an old man’ and feared he would die in his fifties.
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