Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
Entertainment

Michael Jackson’s ‘Cry for Help’ Ripped from Auction Blocks

Posted byBy ABS Contributor | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
Lisa Marie Presley put her foot down at a Beverley Hill’s auction, demanding that Michael Jackson’s hand-written letter be pulled from the bidding. The letter detailed Jackson’s love for Lisa and need of medical attention.
Michael Jackson wrote the letter some time between 1993 and 1996, demanding a solution to his lack of sleep. The pop icon complained he had been awake for four days and needed to get away from phones and business people. Jackson believed that prescription drugs were the only thing that could ease his disorder.
Jackson suffered from sleep deprivation for years, confiding in Presley during and after their four-year marriage. Jackson wrote the letter to Presley, opening it with “Lisa, I truly need this rest.” Some time after the letter Jackson became dependent on Propofol, a hypnotic drug most commonly used for procedural sedation. The drug served as a quick fix for the singer’s life-threatening illness.
As reported by TMZ, Propoful is the same drug that killed Jackson, but Jackson had been searching for the drug some time before his encounter with personal physician Conrad Murray.
Punctuations are misplaced and the end of sentences trail off the page, which led TMZ to suggest Jackson was unable to function coherently.
Presley’s outrage pushed Julien’s Auction to remove the letter. Owner Darren Julien told TMZ, “I’m assuming it’s a personal nature, and we wanted to honor the request and continue our good reputation with Ms. Presley.”
Julien’s Auction is the same company that is selling Elvis’ tomb. The tomb will hit the auction block on June 23rd.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top