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Michael Jackson Seriously ill /dying :Ian Halperin, Story Refuted

by Ravi Dixit | December 22, 2008 at 09:11 pm

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British tabloid The Sun quoting Ian Halperin reported that Michael Jackson is so sick that he is dying. The biographer claims that MJ is suffering from an inherited condition A1AD, alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency. The report goes on to say that Michael Jackson needs a lung transplant and is almost blind in one eye. The original story was reported by SUN.

The news spread like wildfire on the internet yesterday. It has been finally refuted by the official spokesperson of MJ, Dr. Tohme Tohme and states that the actor is in fine health and the story is a fabrication " for cheap publicity" by Mr. Halperin - The Biographer of Michael Jackson and the rumours about Michael Jackson being dying and seriously ill are just that, Rumours.

MICHAEL JACKSON is battling a genetic disease that has left him half blind and needing a lung transplant, it was claimed last night.

The superstar, 50 — seen in a wheelchair earlier this year — is said to be so frail he can barely speak.

Jacko’s secret was revealed by his biographer Ian Halperin, who declared: “He needs a lung transplant, but may be too weak to go through with it. He also has emphysema and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which his doctors have had a lot of trouble stopping.

Reuters reports the official refusal.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A spokesman for Michael Jackson released a statement on Monday denying as a "total fabrication" a report claiming that the former King of Pop needs a lung transplant due to a rare respiratory disease.

A few years ago a hoax was circulating about Michael Jackson being dead and a supernatural impositor having taken his place. Emails went back and forth till finally various Hoax sites officially termed it as a certified Hoax.

An email forward is circulating in which it is claimed that the real Michael Jackson is dead and that an impostor, possibly of supernatural origin, has taken his place. The message is disguised to resemble a genuine news report and includes images of the discovery and "the creature that claims to be Michael Jackson". According to this "news report" the corpse of the real Michael Jackson has been found buried under miniature-train tracks at Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Supposedly, forensic tests indicated that the body has been there for many years. The story implies that the entity currently claiming to be Michael Jackson is in fact an otherworldly figure - perhaps a demon.

Of course, there is not even a shred of truth in this far-fetched tale. The story is satire, and is presumably intended to amuse and entertain. This tale originates from a recent feature on the satirical news site, The Onion.

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Sanjay Jha

at 21:23 on December 22nd, 2008

Good Post. So in any case he was in spotlight once again. Hopefully he is not sick as reported. Thanks for a clarifying post.

Ravi Dixit

at 04:55 on December 23rd, 2008

Thanks Sanjay,

In this age of information overload it is important to cross check stuff before we start believing in them. The truth is somewhere in between.

Miriam Mannak

at 02:27 on December 23rd, 2008

Why believing The Sun in the first place? We all know that they - like any tabloid / sewage newspaper will do anything to increase their readership. What hapened to 'check and double check' - especially when such information comes from a not so credible source?

Uwe Paschen

at 03:55 on December 23rd, 2008

Using the Sun, Die Bild or USA Today as a source of information has always been frowned up on and rightfully so.

Ravi Dixit

at 04:00 on December 23rd, 2008

Thanks Miriam and Paschen for your coments, now other mainline media outlets like CNN and BBC are reporting about the clarification citing reuters. Yesterday MSNBC was also quoting SUN! as per the embedded video.