Michael Jackson's Health and Appearance

Michael Jackson's Health And Appearance

Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American musician and entertainer who spent over forty years in the public eye, first as a child star with The Jackson 5, and later as a solo artist. Starting in the mid-1980s it became clear that Jackson's appearance was changing dramatically. His skin tone became lighter, his nose and facial shape changed, and he lost weight. The lighter skin tone is generally reported to have initially been caused by vitiligo. Surgeons speculated he also had a rhinoplasty, a forehead lift, cheekbone surgery, altered his lips, and had a cleft put in his chin. Those close to the singer estimated that, by 1990, he had undergone around ten procedures. His autopsy reported facial scars consistent with cosmetic surgery, plus cosmetic tattoos to his eyebrows, eyes, lips and scalp.

Jackson and some of his siblings said they had been physically and emotionally abused by their father, and in 2003, his father admitted whipping Jackson as a child. Jackson rarely spoke about it, but when he did, he became very emotional and said he would vomit before meeting his father. Physicians said he suffered from body dysmorphic disorder. At some point during the 1990s, it appeared that Jackson became dependent on prescription drugs, mainly painkillers and strong sedatives, and his health deteriorated dramatically. He went into rehabilitation in 1993 with the help of Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John, but the addiction remained. He died of cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009.