As the wrongful death trial continues regarding Michael Jackson’s family members suing the concert promotion company AEG Live, who were in charge of his This Is It tour, claiming they should be held as negligent for hiring and managing Dr. Conrad Murray, new details of the tour are coming out.
A choreographer for the tour, Travis Payne, revealed AEG considered “pulling the plug” on the tour altogether just 11 days before Jackson’s death in 2009.
CNN reports Payne testified on Tuesday that Jackson was emaciated, sick and even paranoid as he rehearsed for the tour. Promoters became increasingly concerned and thought about cancelling it for fear of his life.
"It was 'We've got to get this together or the plug may be pulled,' " he said during a cross examination. When lawyer David Panish suggesting he might be downplaying the severity of his illness, he said "I don't have a dog in this race, so I don't want to be painted as a guy who's trying to mask anything," adding, "Mr. Jackson just explained to me that he had trouble sleeping, that he was tired, and that satisfied me.”
He added, “Sometimes in rehearsal Michael would appear a little loopy, under the influence of something, but mostly when he would come to the rehearsals from the dermatologist,” noting he was in the process of undergoing “personal cosmetic procedures, so he could feel great and do a good job.”
Payne worked closely with Jackson in the weeks leading up to his death and said he had been showing “improvement” in his rehearsals.
But jurors read an email written by the show director, Kenny Ortega, in which he said Jackson “slow at grabbing hold of the work” and “not in shape enough” to sing and dance live. As a result, as MSN notes, a lip syncer and body double would’ve been brought in.