According to new testimony from a former bodyguard, Michael Jackson's children found him collapsed from an overdose eight years before his death.
Michael La Perruque was making statements in the ongoing case against AEG Live by Jackson's mother Katherine in Los Angeles, and said the late singer's eldest children, Prince and Paris, were just four and three when they saw their father laid out cold in the hallway of their hotel suite at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, in 2001. However, La Perruque saved Jackson by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until medical assistance arrived and stabilised him.
La Perruque's revelations surfaced at Los Angeles Superior Court in the suit against AEG live for £100 million by the Jackson family, as they believe the concert promoters wrongly hired Dr. Conrad Murray, who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter for his role in Michael's death. However, AEG claim it was Michael who demanded Dr. Murray and his own fault he died from an overdose of hospital grade anaesthetic Propofol in 2009.
The security guard insists he never found medication in Michael's room, but there was always empty bottles of alcohol lying around, and he feared the star would eventually overdose, telling jurors: 'It was my concern that, yes, he may overdose.'
La Perraque said the star would ring him up 'at least 30 times' some nights. He told the court: 'His speech would be very slurred. There would be a lot of mumbling and I wouldn't be able to comprehend what he was saying. I think he was just lonely and wanted to have somebody to talk to.' He also added that he never questioned Jackson on the suspected drug abuse because he didn't want to alienate him and wanted 'to be able to be close to him, to monitor him, to protect him.'
Debbie Rowe, the mother of two of Jackson’s children, is due to give evidence later this week.
