Michael Jackson had injections at 13 to delay puberty

[philly]

I always figured he had done something, I thought surgically, to avoid Frankie Lymon's fate:

www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/michael-jackson-claimed-hed-been-8439967

Michael Jackson had injections at 13 to delay puberty and keep his voice high, former doctor blamed for the pop star's death claims

Michael Jackson claimed he'd been given injections at 13 to delay puberty and keep voice high

22:46, 17 Jul 2016
Updated 07:46, 18 Jul 2016
By Simon Boyle

Dr Conrad Murray, the man authorities in the US blamed for the King of Pop’s death says Jacko claimed he was given injections to delay puberty

Michael Jackson allegedly told his personal physician he was given hormone injections when he was 13 to delay puberty to keep his voice high.

Dr Conrad Murray, the man authorities in the US blamed for the King of Pop’s death, said he was sworn to secrecy over the shocking claim.

But he makes the alarming revelation in the final part of our ­explosive serialisation of his new book, This Is It.

Dr Murray, who met Michael three years before his death, says: “He began talking vaguely, seeming to have more difficulty describing precisely what happened to him. Maybe he was almost at the limit to his cathartic confession that night. But what Michael said left me the impression that he had been given injections, probably hormones, to delay puberty.

“After he had revealed for the first time to someone else his deepest held secret, Michael stopped talking.”

The star made his confession after isolating himself from the world for years and persistent ­allegations of child sex abuse – and Dr Murray believes it explains many of his bizarre character traits.

He writes: “I often saw Jackson at his most exposed and confessional. He only agreed to share after making me swear, ‘You will never breathe a word. Never.’

“I agreed. I was shocked when Jackson told me. It would explain all of Michael’s unusual behaviour as well as his ­morphological changes.”

The singer died in 2009 from a cardiac arrest brought on by prescription drugs. Later in his book, Dr Murray, 63, reveals how Michael had spoken of the difficult ­relationship he had with his father, Joe.

Speaking to Oprah Winfrey in 1993, Michael claimed he was physically and emotionally abused by his dad from a young age – and Joe forced his sons to rehearse ­relentlessly in the early days of The Jackson 5.

Michael claimed his dad would clutch a belt as he watched and threatened to beat them if they made mistakes. Joe admitted whipping them – but claimed he only did it when it was justified.

In other revelations, Dr Murray said he discovered Michael’s feet were unbearably sore from callouses and fungal infection, causing him agony as he danced. Despite being in pain for years, he had refused to let a doctor see them due to his obsessive privacy. Dr Murray says: “(They) were covered in callouses… and had an advanced chronic fungal infection. It turned out he always wore socks because he was so ashamed of the way his feet looked.

“I suggested he needed a podiatrist. A day after his feet were treated, he was amazed he could walk and dance without pain. Later I prescribed anti-fungal medications to clear the infection. It was a complete success. Meanwhile, I personally administered regular lotions and massages to remove the rough skin.

“The fact Michael’s feet, something critical to him, were in such poor condition was a sign not only had he neglected himself but those around him were not keeping a close eye on his wellbeing.”

Instead, Michael had spent years relying on painkillers and sedatives, developing the addiction that would contribute to his death.

But Dr Murray claims it was not a medic that kicked off Michael’s prescription drug abuse but the singer’s close pal Elizabeth Taylor.

Dr Murray says: “I was heavily engaged in talking to him about weaning him from the use of the [anaesthetic] Propofol.”

He adds: “I veered far from the wake of his request, to visit Elizabeth, so my meeting her never happened.

“I later learned it was Taylor who first got Michael on the road to addiction by introducing him to pain and sleep pills.”

He said the star’s abuse hit new levels in the run-up to his 50-date residency, called This Is It, at London’s O2 arena.

Dr Murray claims when he refused to prescribe drugs, Michael found other medics who would indulge him.

Dr Murray says: “Maybe he was ­realising he couldn’t do it. Yet he had to live and pay his bills. He had already mortgaged his life.”

A family spokesman did not respond to Dr Murray’s claims. Joe is thought to be in poor health following a stroke last year and went into hospital in May.

[erik]

Somehow, given who his father was, this would not be too surprising.

[sliderocker]

I remember hearing this story as a rumor several years before Michael Jackson died, maybe a decade or so. The gist of the story was almost the same as told by Dr. Conrad, except it didn't involve Michael Jackson telling the story to anyone. And in the version I heard, Jackson's mother knew about it and went along with it. I don't know if it could explain Michael Jackson's strange behavior in the years before his death - seems a stretch, but if the story was true, then Jackson's own child abuse was too horrific to contemplate. What kind of parents would go to the extreme of keeping their son's singing voice just so the money would keep rolling in? And if the hormone shots did affect him mentally, is there a possibility he might not have been responsible for his actions? As said, I couldn't see that, it's too much of a stretch, but if his family went overboard with the hormone shots like Michael did with the propofol, they could've screwed him up big time.

And as to whether or not one can be given too much hormone, just consider the athletes who have abused anabolic steroids and paid the price. Not as in being suspended from their sport but in losing their lives to things such as liver cancer or pancreatic cancer or violent heart attacks. And we also know anabolic steroids made athletes more violent and angry. But, all had the attitude that more was better. Anything in excess, even water, can be deadly. Everyone knows about steroid abuse but has there ever been research into hormone abuse?

[philly]

I remember anticipating his voice changing, wondering if that would end his rising superstardom back in the day. It didn't seem to happen, made me wonder if he'd gone the castrati route. I didn't know about the abusive parenting though, I figured he was all in for doing what it took to preserve his high voice. Then I saw a documentary in the 90s about Frankie Lymon, and how he went from solo superstar to eventual has-been with puberty. I assumed the Jackson were well aware of how history might repeat itself and did something to prevent it. Even though Frankie Lymon could still sing well, it was not a transition well received by the music industry or public. He even appeared on an episode of I believe it was "Shindig" in 1965, but lip synching to his old record.

[sliderocker]

Jul 19, 2016 19:02:07 GMT -5 philly said:

I remember anticipating his voice changing, wondering if that would end his rising superstardom back in the day. It didn't seem to happen, made me wonder if he'd gone the castrati route. I didn't know about the abusive parenting though, I figured he was all in for doing what it took to preserve his high voice. Then I saw a documentary in the 90s about Frankie Lymon, and how he went from solo superstar to eventual has-been with puberty. I assumed the Jackson were well aware of how history might repeat itself and did something to prevent it. Even though Frankie Lymon could still sing well, it was not a transition well received by the music industry or public. He even appeared on an episode of I believe it was "Shindig" in 1965, but lip synching to his old record.

It's always a risk for singers who start out as kids, that when they hit puberty, that's the end of their singing career. Michael's biggest perceived competitor in the early 70s was Donny Osmond. He was the breakout star of the Osmonds, much like Michael was with the Jackson 5. But, when Donny's voice changed, the hits were all over. He remained a singer, teaming with Marie but the fan love affair was over.

Curiously, the Bee Gees started their career out as kids and their voices survived puberty and the Gibb brothers went on to write and sing some amazing songs in varying combinations, sometimes all three voices on the same record. Because of the similarity with the Wilson brothers from the Beach Boys, I've always wondered what Brian, Carl and Dennis sounded like as kids? Did they also have the same kind of kid harmonies that became the adult harmonies after puberty?

Another curio connection about the Gibb brothers and the Wilson brothers to the Jackson brothers (don't know about the Osmond brothers) is that they also had stage parents - their fathers, who were a driving force in making their kids a success. And not always in a positive
manner. Both Brian Wilson and Maurice Gibb were belted on their ears by their fathers, Maurice Gibb not so much as to cause damage to his ear, but Brian Wilson lost his hearing in the one ear because of his dad's repeated beltings. Both fathers also managed their sons' group career early on. The Gibbs' dad was also a musician, a drummer, who backed his sons and who taught them stage presence. He was also their fiercest critic, almost always critical of their performances, never once telling them they did a good job. But, he helped land their first record and publishing deals in Australia and his criticism pushed their desire to perfect their craft. From what I've heard about Murray Wilson, he might have been a little better than Joe Jackson although I think there was some fiasco he was involved with on the publishing of the Beach Boys' songs, something which caused them to lose the rights and money, and resulted in the group firing Murray as the manager.

In reality, no parent or relative should manage their children. Even if it's done with the best of intentions, stage parents or stage relatives can lose sight of the fact their kids are kids, and not money making propositions. Hollywood's cemeteries are full of child actors who didn't make the transition to adult hood or being able to handle being an adult so well. When you look deeper into their tragedies, the reason is often the same: a stage parent or other relative. Having a gift should be that: a gift and not a curse.