'Daddy!' How Paris and Prince Walked in on Lifeless Father Michael Jackson as Conrad Murray Tried to Revive Him
Blanket, Paris, and Prince Jackson in 2012. (Photo: AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
According to a new book, Michael Jackson’s children learned of the music icon’s tragic death in the worst way possible – by walking in on Dr. Conrad Murray’s resuscitation attempts.
The horrific scene is detailed in Mark Langthorne and Matt Richards’ 83 Minutes, which is excerpted in People’s latest issue. The new book tells the inside story of Jackson’s final hours on June 25, 2009, including the actions taken by Murray.
The authors write that after administering 25mg of Propofol to Jackson around 10:40 a.m. – the last of several doses of other powerful sedatives through the night – Murray told police he briefly left the singer’s bedroom. Less than two hours later, at 12:05 p.m., Jackson’s chef encountered Murray in a panic – rushing to get help from the star’s assistant, Alberto Alvarez.
With a call in to emergency responders at 12:21 p.m., Alvarez and Murray then began to perform CPR, 83 Minutes details. The futile life-saving attempts were desperately made as Paris, then 11, and Prince Jackson, 12, looked on. Blanket, at the time only age 7, was not present.
According to the book, Prince was standing at the doorway, a couple of paces inside, “gently weeping with a look of shock on his face at seeing his father stricken on the floor.”
Michael Jackson in 2009. (Photo: Tim Whitby/Getty Images)
“Paris crumpled to her knees instantly, screaming ‘Daddy’ and beginning to cry hysterically,” Langthorne and Richards detail.
Murray attempted to remove the children from the scene, screaming, “Don’t let them see their dad like this,” as Jackson laid splayed out on the bed with his mouth open and hands by his side.
A nanny rushed Paris and Prince away, taking them to a den ahead of the ambulance’s 12:26 p.m. arrival. It was only later, at UCLA Medical Center, that Jackson was officially pronounced dead.
For more on Michael Jackson and 83 Minutes pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday
Murray was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s death. He was released in 2013 after serving half of his four-year jail sentence.
Jackson’s children – who testified in court during Murray’s trial – have since grown up, and remain close.
Paris, now 18, recently added a new tattoo to her body to honor her late father (one of several). The ink features the “Smooth Criminal” singer's Dangerous album cover art, which prominently includes Jackson’s eyes.
