Lisa Marie Presley once confronted Michael Jackson’s doctor over his drug use: “I won’t let them..."
Michael Jackson was heavily dependent on sedatives and prescription drugs at the time of his death. The 'Thriller' hitmaker passed away in June 2009 owing to acute intoxication caused by the powerful anesthetic propofol, which was given by his personal doctor, Conrad Murray, who was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Ironically, Jackson's ex-wife, Lisa Marie Presley, had tried to save him from the effects of excessive medication back in 1995; she had fiercely confronted Dr. Neil Ratner, who first introduced the 'Beat It' singer to sedatives. “Doctors killed my father, and I won’t let them kill my husband," she chillingly echoed her father's death in 1977 due to prescription drug abuse.
As per The Mirror, in his book 'Roc Doc,' Ratner disclosed the specifics of their encounters. He revealed that Presley was dissatisfied with the medical treatments performed following Jackson's 1995 stage fall during rehearsals as a result of low blood pressure and dehydration. The former anesthesiologist stated that a heated argument ensued, "Marie didn’t stay long. As she came out of Michael’s room, she walked over to me and asked if we could speak," he said. "She came right to the point. ‘I don’t know who you are but I don’t like so many doctors around Michael.’ Before I could respond, she got right in my face. ‘I don’t like doctors; doctors killed my father, and I won’t let them kill my husband’.”
Ratner, who was Jackson's trusted friend for eight years and his on-off tour physician, acknowledged that he was the first medical professional to administer the hospital anesthetic Propofol to the King of Pop for his insomnia. He also claimed in the book that Presley and Jackson divorced because of the latter's uncontrollable addiction. Ratner disclosed that the couple often fought over the issue, “Michael became increasingly agitated and paced as he spoke. After five minutes, he hung up. ‘Rat, I’m not sure I can stay married to her.’" The former medic referred to the time when Jackson had a furious disagreement with Presley.
Defense says Murray was trying to ween Michael Jackson off Propofol and give him other, more traditional sedatives.
— TMZ (@TMZ) September 27, 2011
“I didn’t want to have this conversation, especially in light of what Lisa Marie had said to me a few days before. They were both celebrities, both child stars, but they just weren’t compatible," he recalled. “It was sad really because they really were fond of each other and had known each other since they were children when the Jackson 5 used to visit Elvis in Las Vegas.” Ratner was first introduced to Jackson in 1988 while the latter was going through cosmetic alignment over his facial features. “The first time Michael called me, he was having a cosmetic procedure and asked if I was going to use the Milk of Amnesia, a nickname for Propofol because of its milky appearance," he recounted.
The former anesthesiologist boasted that he created the 'sleep therapy' for Jackson using Propofol after the latter begged him for relief from pain and exhaustion due to stressful rehearsals. Ratner shockingly revealed that he administered the drug off-label "25 times" on the 'Billie Jean' hitmaker during the 1997 HIStory tour in South Africa. He also confessed to feeling zero regret over his actions. “My one regret is that I failed; I wasn’t able to help him," Ratner stated. "I was not advocating Propofol as a sleep medication for anyone else but Michael and, even then, only as part of a treatment regimen while he was touring,” he concluded.