Brittany Murphy May Have Followed The Same Path As DJ AM And Michael Jackson

Actor Brittany Murphy, who got her start in the movie Clueless, died of cardiac arrest at her L.A. home Dec. 20 at the age of 32. The original autopsy was finished on December 21st and concluded that Murphy had died of natural causes; however, an investigator's notes in the coroner's office stated that there was a staggering amount of prescription drugs inside Murphy's LA home. "The investigator's notes reveal that Murphy "had been complaining of shortness of breath and severe abdominal pain" for 7 to 10 days before her death", reports the Examiner. A prescription drug overdose is what investigators are now trying to determine as the cause of the cardiac arrest. It will take 4-6 weeks before a toxicology report is completed. What's strange about Murphy's life and death is that she claimed that she never had tried hard drugs and prescription drugs were too powerful, "I am way too high-strung to do drugs. I can't even take a Sudafed. Can you imagine? My God. I think my heart would explode", according to the Examiner. It appears that Brittany Murphy may have followed the same path as DJ AM and Michael Jackson; three, possible prescription drug overdoses amongst stars in 2009.

The investigators' notes stated that the nightstands at the Murphy residence contained large amounts of prescription medications with Murphy's name on the bottles. There were a lot of empty prescription bottles in Brittany's husband, mother, and unidentified third parties' names. Yet, she never used or had a drug problem, she was perhaps able to hide her addiction problems from everyone. The drugs that Brittany had prescriptions for were:

• Topamax (anti-seizure med)
• Methylprednisolone (anti-inflammatory)
• Fluoxetine (depression med)
• Klonopin (anxiety med)
• Carbamazepine (treats diabetic symptoms and is also a bipolar med)
• Ativan (anxiety med)
• Vicoprofen (pain reliever)
• Propranolol (hypertension)
• Biaxin (antibiotic)
• Hydrocodone (pain medication)

It is clear just from that list of drugs that there was a tragedy unfolding in Brittany's life and it inevitably killed her. A beautiful, 32 year old star lost perhaps to the grips of addiction. Prescription medications are just as dangerous and life threatening than drugs that can be found on the street; 2009 has been a year that reminded us that prescription drugs are a clear and present danger. In the next few weeks there will be more developments that come to the surface, we will have a better understanding as people come forward - someone had to be aware of Murphy's addiction problems.

Michael Jackson Death Has Been Ruled A Homicide

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office report on the death of Michael Jackson has finally been released. Michael Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide as a result of the findings. The fact of the matter is that Michael Jackson was indeed a drug addict for many years with ample opportunity to receive help; time and time again he refused help and continued to abuse prescription medication with the help of his doctors and particularly Dr. Conrad Murray who is now most likely facing homicide charges. "I'm a little bit surprised," Jane Brackley of London told MTV News in Times Square. "Then again, you knew he was taking quite a few prescription drugs, and somebody had to give them to him." However, we have to ask ourselves whether or not we charge drug dealers with homicide, let alone attempted homicide, when people overdose and die from the drugs they were sold. Michael Jackson, despite being highly intoxicated, was well aware of the choices he was making and was urged to check into treatment; but, the choice to go to treatment has to be the patients and his doctor (whose salary was $150,000 per month) was not just going stop prescribing Jackson drugs that he was addicted to.

"According to the affidavits lodged with the search warrants, Jackson had a roster of half a dozen doctors who prescribed him drugs, excluding two in Germany who had allegedly introduced him to propofol." reports the Australian On-Line Newspaper. Do we punish all of those doctors or just the one who gave him the medications that Jackson already had a dependency for? While being interviewed by detectives, again according to the Australian: allegedly Dr. Murray said Jackson "was very familiar with the drug (propofol) and referred to it as his 'milk'". Sedatives and pain killers can be extremely dangerous drugs if not properly managed by a doctor who specializes in that field, so it is not all that surprising that something like this happened. Dr. Murray claims that after realizing Jackson's dependence to Propofol he attempted to get him off it. The Australian reports: "He became concerned about the possibility of addiction to propofol and decided to wean Jackson off the drug. For two nights before the death, he administered a different drug cocktail and Jackson was able to sleep. But the night before his death, Dr. Murray gave Jackson Valium at 1am and stayed beside him all night, trying different drugs to induce sleep. Finally, at 10:40am, he relented and gave Jackson propofol." After Jackson stopped breathing it took 82 minutes before an ambulance was called, which clearly shows that Murray knew that he was in trouble and tried everything he could to fix the problem on his own.

One thing seems very clear, there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle of Jackson's death and there is not just one responsible party. It is easy to agree with the idea that Murray is liable for the pop star's death, but, to say that one doctor should be charged with homicide for the death of a person who had a lot of help along the way by multiple doctors and even "friends" seems absurd. There is no question in my mind regarding the negligence of Dr. Murray on that fatal night; however, he was given a patient to fix who had already been broken by several other doctors over the years. Michael Jackson's drug addiction was facilitated by many family, friends, and doctors for over twenty years and it was only a matter of time before his disease got the best of him. The question that remains now, is whether we punish the doctors or change the legislation regarding the ability for private doctors to prescribe certain drugs?

Michael Jackson Doctor's Office was Raided as Part of a Manslaughter Investigation

Yesterday, LAPD and DEA agents arrived at the Houston, Texas, clinic of Dr. Conrad Murray; who was Michael Jackson's personal physician and was with him when he died last month. Michael Jackson's doctor's office was raided as part of a manslaughter investigation in search of his medical records. According to one source, "The search was conducted by members of the DEA, two Robbery-Homicide detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department and Houston police officers. The search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for and seize items, including documents; they believed constituted evidence of the offense of manslaughter."

Miranda Sevcik, a representative for Dr. Murray's lawyer Chernoff, said: "This raid was unexpected to us. All this drama is just not necessary, this is how we feel. Ed's not dismayed about it. He's just trying to figure out what's going on. But he's not worried about it." It is believed that the warrant was tied to the findings of Michael Jackson's preliminary autopsy report and the prescription drugs found in his system. Everything is still pretty vague regarding what the pop star was abusing and what happened prior to Jackson's death. At this point it is no secret that Jackson, with the help of others, was severely abusing prescription drugs and was addicted without a doubt.

The investigation is focused on one particular drug, Propofol according to reports; Propofol is used to put people to sleep before surgery, it is a very strong anesthetic not to be used outside a hospital setting. Sources say, "It is Conrad Murray they're looking at. They are looking for Propofol, along with anything else they find. But Propofol is the big one." Murray was in Nevada when officials raided his office, but, despite his lawyer saying that Jackson's doctor is not worried it is probably fair to say that that is not true.

The truth will come out whether or not Dr. Murray is liable for Jackson's death soon enough. It is fair to say that Dr. Murray is not the only doctor prescribing medications that are potentially fatal despite warnings by the FDA. The fact of the matter is that some doctors have become more concerned with their pocket books than the lives of their patients. Saying no to Michael Jackson was probably a very hard thing to do when you are blinded by money. Life is worth more than money and unfortunately not everyone sees it that way. I am interested in your thoughts as to whether the doctor (pusher) or the addict (patient) is responsible for the ultimate death?

Jackson's Family Attempted Drug Interventions

Sources say that Jackson's family attempted drug interventions over the last four years. We are being told that on at least two separate occasions interventions were attempted by Michael Jackson's friends and family, but every time Jackson would go ballistic and refuse to get help. According to an ABC news report of July 10, 2009: "Police have confirmed a laundry list of drugs were found inside the Los Angeles rental home where Jackson died June 25, revealing to the public what his family has known for years -- Michael Jackson was a drug addict."

ABC News reports that "The Web site TMZ is reporting that the 2003 police raid on Jackson's home, Neverland Ranch, revealed painkillers, sedatives, vials and syringes." So it is pretty clear, despite having the coroner's report yet, what was going on with Jackson. Ultimately, Jackson's death was directly related to his serious addiction to pain medicine and sedatives. There was nothing that anybody could do about his problem, he had to be the one who wanted help with his substance abuse problem. It has been reported that virtually everybody who tried to get in between Jackson and his drugs was "pushed away" or simply fired.

In 1993 Jackson said that he would be entering treatment to deal with his addiction to pain killers that he had become dependent on after sustaining burns to his scalp which he had extensive surgery on. Jackson's doctors have cooperated by releasing the performer's medical records, according to the Los Angeles coroner's office; this should help them determine the cause of death and whether or not there was any contributory negligence.

It may be many more weeks before we know the whole story of Michael Jackson's death; however, you may want to watch this ABC news report and an interview with an interventionist to learn more about the disease of addiction.

My hope is that Jackson's untimely death will strike a chord with people all over the world about the dangers of prescription medications. Maybe this will cause people to want to seek out help for their own addictions. The help is always available when one is ready to accept that they have a problem and can't beat it on their own. If you have a problem or you know someone that does please contact us at Whiteside Manor.

Michael Jackson's Memorial Service on Tuesday

Michael Jackson's Memorial Service on Tuesday was certainly a sight to behold. It was a spectacle with golden casket onstage and the eulogists including Brooke Shields, Magic Johnson and Queen Latifah, to name a few. All of Jackson's brothers were wearing sunglasses and a glove on one hand emulating Michael's iconic style. Jackson's life was so chaotic, yet his funeral seemed rather calm; seems rather ironic that it ended that way.

I feel that a lot of people are in denial about everything, denial about what has been going on with Michael all these years. Everybody said a lot of nice things about him, but nobody wants to talk about the truth. Jackson was in denial about his addiction, and his family was in denial about the seriousness of his disease. Jackson's former medium Uri Geller and ex-bodyguard Matt Fiddes were interviewed by the Associated Press and stated that they tried again and again to help Jackson help himself. They were powerless to stop him, no matter what they did to halt his problem some one else would be right there to give Jackson what he wanted.

Regardless of what could have been done or was done, the fact remains that Michael Jackson made his own choice and was responsible for his own actions. Other people could only do so much for Jackson. He was a tortured soul and his drug addiction fueled his underlying problems. The cause of death has been "deferred" until all the results are in, but the the truth is out there.

Today as we ponder Michael Jackson's life and death. We might ask why didn't he ask for help. I share with you a video of Jennifer Hudson singing "Will You Be There?" This song was written by Michael. As you listen to it, particularly the closing verse...we might ask ourselves "was anybody really listening to his words?"

The lesson for us all is this: when your loved one reaches out for help it may not be in spoken words, but song, actions, or just a look. Take the time to listen.






In Our Darkest Hour
In My Deepest Despair
Will You Still Care?
Will You Be There?
In My Trials
And My Tribulations
Through Our Doubts
And Frustrations
In My Violence
In My Turbulence
Through My Fear
And My Confessions
In My Anguish And My Pain
Through My Joy And My Sorrow
In The Promise Of Another Tomorrow
I'll Never Let You Part
For You're Always In My Heart

Michael Jackson's Family Betrayal, No Intervention!

Michael Jackson's family betrayal, no intervention! America seems to be at a loss for words regarding the late Michael Jackson and his supposed drug addiction and reclusive nature. The writing is clearly written on the wall, but no one who is part of his network wants to blow the whistle. Everyone is trying to protect Michael, as if the people who enabled him while he was alive are continuing the behavior after his death. I guess old habits are easier to come by than they are to break! Who and why, what and how?

Last week I wrote a little bit about intervention, and I thought, with all the talk about Michael Jackson (with respect to any one person trying to intervene) it was worth writing about. It seems to me that everyone who was close to Michael is trying to sweep his addiction under the rug. They would like America to believe that they are doing this to protect his good name, but I, like many others believe they are doing this to protect themselves. Perhaps they're afraid they will be cut out Michael's estate? Or, maybe they don't want to catch ridicule from America if the truth gets out?

Whatever their motives may be for lying or being negligent is irrelevant, the evidence never lies. A 50 year old man that is 5'10'' and ways 110 pounds clearly has some issues; furthermore, Michael Jackson had access to America's best doctors. There is no way that the coroner's report won't state that his premature death was caused by anything other than years of drug addiction and a serious eating disorder, which stressed his heart to the brink. I am a firm believer of the old saying, "The Truth Will Set You Free", a saying that I believe many of the people involved in what has now become a scandal (in my opinion) should adopt.

Everyone lost something special the day Michael Jackson died, let's be serious, Michael Jackson was as American as Apple Pie. We should let Michael Jackson's death be something we all can learn from, in order to help prevent more tragedies like this. Bonnie Hunt said some very interesting things that I feel are pertinent to quote,"... I'm not judging, but I am wondering... I don't hear any reports of attempts by any of these knowing friends of their having tried an intervention, not only because of Michael's need for it (he would only be sober if he made a choice to do so for himself), but I'm talking about the needs of his children. Why wouldn't anyone, any single person, friend or employee, or doctor -- someone -- at least consider the fact that the children were reclusively in the care of a drug-addicted person?" I feel the same way that Bonnie Hunt does, and like her, I feel that if no one asks these questions than Michael's death will be in vain.

Tonight as you watch the news coverage of Michael Jackson's memorial service, take time to spend with your family. Is there someone who needs an intervention, before it is too late? "The truth will set them free and might help others as well. Acknowledging his addiction does not erase his enormous creative contribution. He was one of the most talented creative artists of our generation. That is solid. Now the truth about how he suffered such an early death can add to his legacy in an educational way, not in a negative way." -Bonnie Hunt-