HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — With rumors continue to swirl about what caused Michael Jackson’s death, his father is admitting that he suspects “foul play.”
“I do believe it was foul play,” Joe Jackson said in a Friday interview with Chris Connelly of ABC News. “I do believe that.”
While the entertainer’s father wouldn’t elaborate on his fears, he did say that he was stunned when he first found out about his son’s death on June 25.
“I just couldn’t believe what was happening to Michael,” he said.
An initial autopsy on Jackson’s body has yet to determine an exact cause of death. Officials are currently awaiting toxicology results, which are expected back within the next few weeks.
Many have speculated that Jackson’s death was tied to his alleged use of prescription drugs. It is widely believed that investigators removed at least two bags of medication from the Holmby Hills home that he was renting at the time of his death. One of those drugs is believed to be Propofol, an extremely powerful drug also known as Diprivan. The drug is administered intravenously as a general anesthetic used to sedate patients for surgery and is only available to medical personnel.
“I didn’t know anything about the drugs. I didn’t even know the name of them,” Jackson’s father told ABC.
At the time of his death, the King of Pop was preparing for a comeback, with a 50-date run slated to begin this month at London’s O2 Arena. The family patriarch admitted that the rehearsals for the London comeback were taxing his son’s body.
“I do know that whatever he’d taken was to try to make him rest because he had been working so hard, and that drug was supposed to try and make him relax,” he said.
“He never woke up,” added Jackson’s father. “Michael died in his sleep.”
In addition to still looking for answers on Jackson’s death, the musical family could also be facing a custody showdown over the singer’s three children — Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II (Blanket), 7. Jackson’s kids are currently in the hands of 79-year-old family matriarch Katherine Jackson, who was previously awarded temporary guardianship in court.
“There’s no one else to do what we can do for them,” said Joe Jackson. “We should keep them all together and then make them happy, feed ’em like they’re supposed to be fed, and let them get rest, plenty of sleep and grow up to be strong Jacksons.”
At Tuesday’s public memorial for the music icon, the world caught its first glimpse of Paris, who delivered a tear-jerking speech about the loss of her father.
“When you start talking about Michael she starts crying,” said Joe Jackson.
While the children have remained out of the public eye since birth, Joe Jackson said it’s quite possible fans will be seeing more of them in the future.
“I don’t know — I keep watching Paris. She … wants to do something. And as far as I can see, well, they say Blanket, he can really dance,” he said.
Also see: Michael Jackson Memorial Service Videos
