Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s former personal physician, left Jackson alone and under the influence of a powerful anesthetic the morning the pop singer died, according to three sources. By the time Murray returned from making phone calls, the singer had stopped breathing.
In his new autobiography, rap star Bobby Brown says he was first introduced to cocaine by his ex-wife, Whitney Houston. The former drug addict, who was married to Houston from 1992 to 2006, has revealed shocking details of the couple’s relationship in Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Noting But, due in September 2009.
“I never used cocaine until after I met Whitney. Before then, I had experimented with other drugs, but marijuana was my drug of choice. At one point in my life, I used drugs uncontrollably,” he writes. “I was using everything I could get my hands on, from cocaine to heroin, weed and cooked cocaine.”
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According to the singer’s soon-to-be ex-husband, Amy Winehouse stole cocaine from supermodel Kate Moss, temporarily died during an overdose in 2007, and wouldn’t perform without taking a hit from her crack pipe. Blake Fielder-Civil talked to the UK’s The Sun, describing how their life spiraled into a “drug-crazed nightmare.”
Fielder-Civil revealed that in August 2007, after they had spent three days using heroin and crack, he was begging her to get some sleep when she suddenly went into a fit. “It was nearly midnight and I’d finally got her upstairs. We were sitting on the bed talking. Her eyes suddenly went blank,” he said. She began foaming at the mouth and “started having a fit on the bed. She slid down on to the floor before I could stop her.”
Although the toxicology reports are still pending, authorities believe the drug propofol, a powerful anesthetic, is what killed pop singer Michael Jackson. A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Michael Jackson’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, administered the drug to help Jackson sleep sometime after midnight the day Jackson died.
Linkin Park co-frontman Chester Bennington opened up about his long battle with drugs and alcohol in a new interview with Noisecreep, and admits that his experience with addiction influenced many of the songs on Out of Ashes, his upcoming album with his side project Dead by Sunrise.
Bennington told Noisecreep, “My life was falling apart in many ways that I was writing about on this record in terms of getting divorced, in terms of diving very hard into alcohol and drugs throughout this process.”
By Leslie Thompson
“Demerol, Demerol. Oh, God, he’s taking Demerol” are very poignant lyrics from Michael Jackson’s 1997 song “Morphine.” With Jackson’s shocking death on June 25, 2009, many questions have arisen, the most popular one being whether he died from a drug overdose. Jackson had a long and tumultuous affair with prescription drugs during the course of his life, and as more information surrounding his death surfaces, it is appearing more likely that drugs did in fact end his life. But what exactly is Demerol aside from Jackson’s drug of choice?
Last Friday, Grammy-winning rapper Coolio pleaded guilty to cocaine possession and will report to an 18-month drug rehabilitation program. The 45-year-old artist, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was arrested on March 6 at Los Angeles International Airport when authorities found cocaine and a smoking device in his luggage. When authorities attempted to open the bag, Coolio allegedly grabbed one of the screener’s arms to try to stop the search, which earned him a resisting arrest charge.
Successful completion of the rehab program will prevent the “Gangsta’s Paradise” hitmaker from serving a maximum sentence of three years in jail. As part of the plea deal, the misdemeanor charges of battery and possession of a smoking device were dismissed.
During his 15-year career, Coolio has released 7 albums. His latest album, Steal Hear, was released last October. The rapper was last seen in early 2009 on the UK’s “Celebrity Big Brother” reality series.
Coolio is due back in court on September 28 to report on his progress.
Amy Winehouse, the 25-year-old British singer who consistently makes headlines due to alcohol and drug abuse, is “in denial” over her drug addiction and continues to drink heavily, according to her parents. Janis Winehouse, her mother, said that “the need to rescue her is enormous. Amy is in denial all the time.”
Las Vegas performer and comedian Danny Gans was known as “The Man of Many Voices,” and made his name through song, dance, and impressions ranging from Sammy Davis Jr. to Kermit the Frog. He was a permanent performer throughout Las Vegas, but his life ended abruptly at the age of 52 on May 1, 2009.
A preliminary report from the coroner shows that Gans died from the interaction of hydromorphone, a powerful opiate painkiller marketed under the name Dilaudid, with an existing condition called polycythemia, which involves high blood pressure.
Many fans were unaware that Gans was suffering from chronic pain, a result of an injury he sustained in minor league baseball when another player’s cleat tore his Achilles tendon. “If he was in pain, he would just suck it up and go on with the show,” said Chip Lightman, Gans’ longtime manager and friend. “Dan wasn’t a complainer.”
Coroner Mike Murphy said the death was accidental and that Gans was suffering from chronic pain syndrome. He also said it was not an issue of drug abuse. Lightman said he thought Gans avoided taking pain medications because he was afraid they would affect his singing. He says he is haunted by the question of who gave him the prescription for Dilaudid.
The coroner and medical examiner refused to identify Gans’ physicians or say how long the entertainer was suffering from chronic pain. They also wouldn’t say how much Dilaudid was in his system or whether other medications were present.
A professor of clinical pharmacy and gerontology at the University of Southern California, Bradley Williams, said that hydromorphone is three to five times more potent than morphine. Dr. Mel Pohl, medical director of a Las Vegas drug abuse treatment center and an author of two books on chronic pain recovery, said, “Hydromorphone is not something that’s prescribed for mild pain.”
Pohl also said he though the coroner’s listing of chronic pain syndrome was “a little peculiar.” “I think what they were trying to imply is that he had chronic pain, he was taking this medication to address that, and the treatment ended up backfiring partly because of his medical condition,” Pohl said. “That’s the lesson…Medications often don’t do what we want them to do.”
Pohl says it’s “worrisome in retrospect” that he would take a strong narcotic that could make him breathe more slowly with his existing heart condition. A forensic toxicology consultant said that Gans’ medical condition could have made him less tolerant of the painkiller. “A debilitated patient can be pushed over the edge by drug levels that wouldn’t necessarily be harmful for someone in good health,” Alan Barbour said.
Lightman said he knew Gans suffered back and shoulder pain since he was a minor league baseball player, and that he had two shoulder surgeries since closing his show at the Mirage last year. He also noted that Gans’ show was so high-energy that he needed to be in athletic shape.
“Danny worked out regularly. He ate well. He was very careful,” Lightman said.
Source: TransWorldNews, Danny Gans’ Untimely Death Linked to Prescription Drug Toxicity, June 10, 2009
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According to RadarOnline.com, David Hasselhoff was rushed to an L.A. hospital after suffering alcohol poisoning Saturday May 2nd.
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