Following his unexpected death on June 25th 2009 at age 50, the world has marvelled at the genius of Michael Jackson and wondered at his lonely personal life. One doctor believes his unusual expertise and hindering social difficulties was due to Autism.
The doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, was called to Jackson’s Las Vegas hotel in 2003 for an unrelated query, but whilst there noticed “the singer displayed classic signs of autism, the brain development disorder of which symptoms include poor social interaction and communication, abnormal intensity or focus, severe insomnia and unusual eating habits.”
Various reports about Jackson’s life seem to corroborate the fact that he might have either being mildly autistic or an Autistic Savant: a person with developmental disorders but achieving one area of brilliance or expertise.
Poor Social Interaction and Communication
Sufferers of Autism are said to be “high functioning individuals who may have active but distinctly odd social approaches.” It’s common knowledge that Jackson seemed uncomfortable interacting with others. He rarely did any interviews and except when reading from a script, rarely said more than a few words when accepting awards.
“[Jackson had] two personalities” said Motown Records founder Berry Gordy speaking at his former artists’ memorial. “Offstage he was shy, soft spoken and childlike, but when he took the stage in front of his screaming fans, he turned into another person; a master, a take-no-prisoner showman.”
Throughout his adulthood, Jackson preferred to be in the company of children. From his arrival at the 1984 Grammy’s carrying 12 year old Emmanuel Lewis as his guest, to his friendships with Macaulay Culkin, Jackson was regularly seen with children and invited them for sleepovers in his house where they watched Disney movies and played computer games.
There’s a misconception that those with autism prefer to be alone; they don’t, but they find forming friendships difficult. This is true with Jackson, who once told a friend “Even at home, I'm lonely. I sit in my room and sometimes cry. It is so hard to make friends, and there are some things you can't talk to your parents or family about. I sometimes walk around the neighborhood at night, just hoping to find someone to talk to." (“Michael Jackson’s Alleged Addictions: Experts Weigh In”, MTV News, July 2, 2009)
Jackson’s unusual friendships and odd social decisions (like covering his children’s faces in public) could be a symptom of autism.
Abnormal Intensity and Focus
Another sign of Autism is the sufferer’s high levels of intense focus: “Pursuit of specific and narrow areas of interest is one of the most striking features” Again, this is consistent with early reports of Jackson as a child studying musician James Brown for hours and then copying his moves.
Vincent Paterson, who directed some of his music famous videos recalls watching Jackson “rehearse a dance sequence for four hours in front of a mirror until it felt like second nature. That’s how he developed the moonwalk, working on it for days if not weeks until it was organic. He took an idea that he had seen some street kids do and perfected it.” (“Pop Icon, Michael Jackson is Dead”, New York Times, June 26, 2009)
Jackson’s ability to hone into a single dance routine or musical idea and focus on it for long periods enabled him to become the best, but it could also have been a symptom of a high-performing type of autism.
Sufferers also tend to have high levels of imagination and an obsessive single interest. Bill Gates, who was passionate about computers from an early age was said to be autistic, as was the great painter Michelangelo whose intense focus enabled him to paint the Sistine Chapel.
Steven Wiltshire from England can look at any city from above once then draw panoramically accurate aerial pictures of what he’s seen, and Daniel Tammet can recite Pi from memory to 22,514 digits. Both are Autistic Savants, so could Jackson have been a savant too, able to mask any social disabilities behind his musical genius?
Unusual Eating Habits and Severe Insomnia
According to experts, those with autism sometimes have unusual eating habits and will only eat certain foods. Jackson was a vegan, and his brother Tito confirmed that he mostly ate vegetables, and that he once became addicted to carrots and ate so many his hands turned a little orange.
Autistic people also suffer from Insomnia, and Jackson’s inability to sleep was revealed after his death: “Michael Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with the singer…” (“Michael Jackson was so Distraught over Insomnia that he Begged for Powerful Drug”, Huffington Post, June 30, 2009)
Perhaps Jackson’s musical magic was simply due to 45 years of working in the industry with the best and having his talent honed by his disciplinarian father and the perfectionists at Motown Records, or it could have been due to Autism.
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Sources:
- Autism on Wikipedia: wikipedia.org/autism
- Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness; J. Randy Taraborelli; 1991; Citadel
Kimberly Ward - Since completing a Journalism degree at City University, London, Kimberly has written extensively online and on print for The Independent ...
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