Jacko Doc Writes 'Dear Barack' Letter

Singer was spending $50K a month on prescriptions

(NEWSER) - Toward the end of his life Michael Jackson was so desperate for prescription drugs, sources tell investigators he harmed himself in an effort to get more, the Mirror reports. Jackson was reportedly spending nearly $50,000 a month on drugs including Vicodin, Soma, Xanax, Zoloft, Paxil, and Prilosec, and he was beset with side effects from shaking fits to hallucinations. More»

Plus, more dirt on yet another Jacko doc

(NEWSER) - As a timeline of Michael Jackson’s final hours began to emerge, Dr. Conrad Murray’s lawyer was was quick to question it, calling it “police theory” in a statement yesterday, the AP reports. “Dr. Murray simply never told investigators that he found Michael Jackson at 11am not breathing,” after allegedly giving Jackson Propofol and then leaving the room. More»

Drug-addled or ready to rock, his inner-circle tells it from all sides

(NEWSER) - Was Michael Jackson happy and healthy, or drug-addled and depressed in his final days? Depends who you ask. The AP compiles a list of contradictory reports from the star’s inner circle:

• Concert promoter Randy Phillips initially told reporters Jackson was "a healthy, vibrant human being,” but later said he hired an attendant whose sole job was reminding the singer to eat.

Star was on powerful mix of narcotics, painkillers

(NEWSER) - The Sun gets the details on the potentially lethal cocktail of prescription drugs Michael Jackson was on in the months before his death. Jackson took addictive narcotic painkillers Demerol and Diluadid daily, the Sun's sources say, and had recently added Vicodin to the mix. He also took a muscle relaxant called Soma, a sedative (Xanax) and two anti-depressants (Zoloft and Paxil, which is prescribed for social anxiety). More»

Misuse of charity embroiled doctor, aide

(NEWSER) - Cindy McCain is open about her painkiller addiction in the early 1990s—to a point, the Washington Post reports in an account of that period. Though she speaks of it frequently as a story of personal struggle, what she doesn't say is that she was in serious legal jeopardy for using her charity as a front to procure the drugs, and that her conduct affected a number of people outside her family. More»