Unmasked The Final Years of Michael Jackson
Unmasked The Final Years of Michael Jackson
In late December 2008, Ian Halperin told the world that Michael Jackson had only six months to live. His investigations into Jackson’s failing health made headlines around the globe. Six months later, the King of Pop was dead.
Whatever the final autopsy results reveal, it was greed that killed Michael Jackson. Friends and associates paint a tragic picture of the last years and days of his life as Jackson made desperate attempts to prepare for the planned concert series at London’s 02 Arena in July 2009. These shows would have earned millions for the singer and his entourage, but he could never have completed them, not mentally, and not physically. Michael knew it and his advisors knew it. Anyone who caught even a fleeting glimpse of the frail old man hiding beneath the costumes and cosmetics would have understood that the London tour was madness. Why did it happen this way? After an intense five year investigation, New York Times bestselling author Ian Halperin uncovers the real story of Michael Jackson’s final years, a suspenseful and surprising thriller.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Loved this book!
I was relieved that Michael was vindicated of the molestation charges,and Mr. Halperin lays out a undeniable case for him. It was heartbreaking to read the scene where he was forced to be examined. Michael was humiliated. Such a shame this man’s life was cut short because his handlers cared more about the concerts and the money it could bring in than they did his life.
Mr Halperin does suggest he will not be alive within one day of his death, although not because of his lungs as I was led to believe by the media, but rather due to the excess drug abuse and the stress he placed on his life in general. Michael was not sleeping, he was scared of failure, and he was not taking good care of himself in general. No one seem to care though as long as he could perform, and perform he did. I saw “This is It!” He looked great, sounded great. Of course he was on drugs, and people around him in rehearsal said he was weak. Pretty amazing what drugs can do, and a little bit of film .
He was loved alive, will be loved as much now that he is no longer with us. I grew up loving Michael, one of his biggest fans. I am so relieved again that he has been cleared of these charges,I only wish he had lived to see it. This author started out to hang Michael and ended up exposing his true heart!
3 Stars Unmasked; The Final Years of Michael Jackson
Before MJ’s death I never had much interest in him. I’m pushing 60 years old so I’ve known of him since he hit the scene in 1968. I was curious why his life went so wrong. One day I was in a bookstore to use up a gift card so I bought this book. It seemed to me it would be unbiased. Little did I know it would lead me into becoming a big time fan! The author raised more questions than he answered. Is this a pro MJ book? No. Is it unbiased? Pretty much so. He does not pretend to be an MJ expert but he makes you want to know more about MJ. One thing Halprin was clear about was his opinion that MJ was not a child molester. I can’t believe Halprin thought that MJ might have been gay. I’ve done a lot of research and am convinced MJ was not gay. Untrusting of women, yes; shy around women, yes; too busy for a girlfriend, yes. I say thank you to Halprin for making me curious about MJ. It’s because of Halprin that I now have read over a dozen books about MJ and have spent hours watching performance and interview videos on youtube. I even bought MJ’s Opus. I plan to donate my MJ books to the local library after I’ve read them. It is a way to get out that he was innocent and that his kind of entertainment talent only happens once. I am proud to be a new fan; post MJ’s death. To keep his legacy alive we need to spread the word. I’d like to see a book dedicated solely to MJ’s humanitarian deeds. He was such a loving and caring person.
1 Star Sorely Disappointed
This book was flat, bland, and over-rated. Wish I could have given it no star at all.
4 Stars Insightful for the Discerning Reader
I downloaded this book not as a obsessive, “Michael can do no wrong” fan (although I am a fan), but as a concerned and interested person after Michael’s untimely death, and can honestly say that this book is getting an bad rap, unfairly. The bulk of the book is devoted to an exhaustive investigation into the child abuse allegations, which is supported by extensive, credible information and sources. It also contains, rather unfortunately, a few chapters of rather extensive speculation as to Michael’s sexuality, Lisa Marie Presley’s motivation for marriage, and some general conspiracy theories, which are developed through a serious of “unnamed sources”, “Jackson employees”, and other “insiders” who are less than credible, and can be safely ignored.
It is important to keep in mind that the author originally set out to find the truth behind the pedophilia charges against Michael (which he ultimately discovers are, without question, untrue), and that only after that investigation did he decide to add additional, less credible thoughts and speculation about other details of his life, based on his various conversations throughout the investigation. In the end, the author clearly is sad, frustrated, empathetic, and angry about the people and circumstances surrounding Michael and his life, as you will be through this read.
Yes, the editing is a bit poor, probably due to the rush to get it published shortly after Michael’s death, but this book brings forth so many of the missing pieces and such insight into the destruction of Michael Jackson that it simply cannot be ignored. I highly recommend it, especially in combination with J. Randy Taraborrelli’s excellent work.
1 Star Waste of money
Occasionally I like to pick up a celebrity biography; this book would be better suited in the fiction section. There’s a lot of hype and it closes with a flop pretty much sums it up.