Michael Jackson’s bodyguard and friend details ‘delirious’ final phone call before singer’s death

A former bodyguard and close friend of Michael Jackson has revealed the details of the final phone call they shared, just before the pop star died.

Speaking around the release of the new biopic film, Michael, Matt Fiddes said Jackson was trying to reach out to his dad, and told him on the phone people were “making him rehearse too much” and that he “never agreed to 50 shows”.

Matt said he recalled that Jackson was forgetting his lyrics and acting erratically before his death – but it was still a complete shock to everyone who knew him, as they were convinced he would just pull out of the tour.

via SWNS

Giving a unique insight into the state of mind of the star when he died, Matt revealed he had desperately tried to reach out to his dad Joseph Jackson to help – but could only reach his voicemail.

Matt, who said he believes the new film will become the most watched of all time, said: “You can’t talk about Michael Jackson without talking about the bad times and the negative times and none of us were expecting that he was going to die.

“I didn’t think he was going to do the 50 show concerts. We were getting reports all the time that he was not well, that he was underweight. He was not remembering his lyrics. I spoke to him two nights before he passed away, and I remember that conversation vividly.

“My ex-wife answered the phone and handed me the phone and said, ‘It’s Michael, you need to speak to him urgently’. He was unhappy. He said, ‘Matt, I need to speak to Joe’, meaning his father, Joseph Jackson.”

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Matt recalled Jackson had asked him: “Do you know where he is?”. He added: “I thought, if he’s asking for his dad, then there must be something wrong. He said ‘I need him to come and sort this situation out here. Only Joseph can do it’. He said ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. They’re making me rehearse too much. And I never agreed to 50 shows’.”

via SWNS

Matt recalled that Michael sounded erratic, and he asked if he had taken anything. He added: “He said ‘I’ve just taken something called ephedrine, which is like an upper. Next level up from caffeine. It’s a drug that a lot of dancers and performers and bodybuilders use.’ And he said he got given to him by a doctor, which kind of reassured me, but he was begging for me to come to Los Angeles.

“Then he asked for his best friend’s number, Mark Lester, who he called straight away. He played the original Oliver Twist from Oliver the movie and had a similar conversation with him. It turns out he did call Joe Jackson asking for help, but he got Joe’s answerphone.

“Not long after Michael passed away, he said sadly, ‘I got a message from Michael, but it was too late.’ Michael had already passed away. So Michael’s death was a shock to all of us. We thought he was going to call the concerts off and not do them.

“Or maybe do one or two, but not die on us. We didn’t think that was going to happen. That is something that will stick with me forever.”

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