Michael Jackson’s son recalls father’s tears, fatigue and death
Michael Jackson’s eldest son testified Wednesday that during rehearsals for Jackson’s anticipated “This Is It” comeback tour, his father told him, “They’re going to kill me, they’re going to kill me.’”
Prince Jackson said his father seemed generally pleased when he returned home from rehearsals but wished he had more time to practice before the upcoming concerts.
He testified his father would sometimes get upset after receiving phone calls from AEG Live Chief Executive Randy Phillips, or Tohme Tohme, his sometime manager.
“He would get off the phone, he would cry sometimes,” Prince Jackson said.
He testified at one point, Phillips aggressively grabbed Jackson’s elbow during a conversation. He said that incident took place either June 23 or 24 in 2009. Jackson died June 25.
The testimony came in the ongoing wrongful death case in which Jackson’s children and mother contend AEG, which was promoting and financing the tour, pushed the pop singer relentlessly as the tour date approached.
Prince Jackson also recounted his memories of the day his father died.
He testified he was on the first floor of their rented Holmby Hills mansion when he heard screaming upstairs. When he ran to the kitchen to see what was doing on, he said he saw Dr. Conrad Murray run back up to the second floor.
Kai Chase, the family’s chef, told him Murray wanted him upstairs.
When he got to the bedroom, he said he saw his father lying half off the bed, his eyes rolled back in his head. He said Murray was giving his father CPR.
He said he recalled his sister Paris was screaming, calling for her “daddy.”
Prince said he followed the paramedics to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and learned of his father’s death when Murray announced, “Sorry kids. Dad’s dead.”
He said Murray told them Jackson had died of a heart attack.
“We just cried,” the performer’s son said.
Prince Jackson is the first family member to testify in the trial, which is nearing the two-month mark.
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