"I'm thinking that there's foul play," the 79-year-old Jackson patriarch told King. "There wasn't just only drugs; there was something else behind that. … This doctor [that was with Michael right before he died], he ran away. They had to look for him three days to find him. To me that's foul play."
Leonard Rowe, a music promoter and longtime friend of the Jacksons for over 30 years, agreed with Joe, adding that London concert promoters AEG were "controlling Michael's life," and, "Foul play will have to be determined with an investigation, but what we're saying is that there was a lot of suspicious activity that was occurring around Michael Jackson."
Both Joe and Leonard claimed that they were being prevented from becoming involved with Michael Jackson's life and business affairs. "They cut me off," said Joe.
"If they could keep people from around Michael Jackson that were trying to look after his well being, they could reach their goal of stripping Michael," said Leonard. "Michael was being controlled." He added that although AEG sold tickets to a planned 50 concert performances, "[Michael] didn't approve 50. He only approved 10."
Joe and Leonard agreed that the infamous 1984 Pepsi commercial accident in which Michael's scalp was burned may have been the gateway to Michael's alleged addiction to painkillers and prescription drugs. "It took a long time for that thing to heal," said Joe, "so it had to have some damage for him, of course."
Leonard also questioned why AEG had a doctor tending to Michael if the company claimed he was healthy enough to perform the concerts: "Michael Jackson was addicted. Would you put a cocaine seller with a cocaine addict?" asked Leonard.
On dealing with Michael's death, Joe said, "I took it very hard. …This is not just me. This is hard for the whole family and the world." As for Michael's mother, Joe says, "Katherine is taking it very, very hard. She's really taking it harder than I've seen her take anything."
Joe also fended off accusations that he abused his Michael and his other children, saying, "I never abused my son. … There's a lot of people in America [that] spank their kids. If they say they don't, they're lying. But Michael was never abused."
Watch "The Insider" for all the latest news on the Jackson family.
Do you think Susan should have asked her son, MJ, to fall off his bike on purpose?
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Comments (14)