Five days before Michael Jackson took his last labored breath in a darkened bedroom, the director of his ill-fated“This Is It” comeback tour was sounding the alarm — even louder than previously revealed Kenny Ortega sent a panicked email in the predawn hours of June 20, 2009, telling promoter Randy Phillips, the head of AEG Live, that Jackson appeared too “weak and fatigued” to rehearse the previous night, “trembling, rambling and obsessing” to the point Ortega recommended a psychological exam. When Phillips didn’t immediately address his fears, Ortega fired off another email 11 hours later, the Daily News has learned.
“I honestly felt if I had encouraged or allowed him on stage last night he could have hurt himself,” Ortega wrote to Phillips in the confidential 1:20 p.m. missive obtained by The News. Phillips responded within the hour, shooting down Ortega’s concerns with even more force than formerly exposed.“It is critical that neither you, me, or anyone around this show become amateur psychiatrists or physicians,” he wrote, adding that he was in touch with Jackson’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, and had gained “immense respect” for the cardiologist who would later got to jail for involuntary manslaughter.“ “(Murray) said that Michael is not only physically equipped to perform (but) that discouraging him to (perform) wil hasten his decline instead of stopping it,” Phillips said.“You cannot imagine the harm and ramifications of stopping the show now,” he wrote. “It would far outweigh‘calling this game in the 7th inning.’ I am not just talking about AEG’s interests here, but the myriad of stuff and lawsuits swirling around MJ that I crisis manage every day and also his well- being.” Signing off as Randy, he added: “Please stay steady. Enough alarms have sounded. It is time to put out the fire, not burn the building down.” Jackson 50, appeared to improve significantly at followup rehearsals but died that Thursday after Murray provided a letha dose of the surgery-strength anesthetic propofol to help the King of Pop sleep The trove of emails detailing dire concerns over Jackson’s health are expected to play a central role in two lawsuits set for trial next year.
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