Michael Jackson wanted to be high in the sky

Aug 11, 2009, 9:16 GMT

Michael Jackson was so addicted to drugs his staff had to stop him getting high on planes. EPA/VERED GALLERY / HO

Michael Jackson was so addicted to drugs his staff had to stop him getting high on planes.

Dieter Wiesner, who was Michael's manager from 1996 to 2003, claims the singer was often so "out of control" on prescription medication, he had to be watched at all times to make sure he didn't overdose.

Recalling one harrowing trip, Dieter said: "On one flight Michael sat in the back row with Paris, and I sat in the row in front with Prince.

"I made sure the doctor was in front and I would watch him for the whole flight to make sure he didn't walk back to Michael and slip him something."

Dieter claims the same doctor nearly caused Michael - who died in June aged 50 - to overdose in a Los Angeles hotel.

He explained to Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: "I left the room for 30 minutes. I came back and he was drugged and would not act or react like before. He was out of control."

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has reportedly ruled on the cause of Michael's death but is not releasing it at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Gossip website TMZ - who broke the story of the star's death - claims the official autopsy report found the star's death was "caused by another person".

According to police sources, the report has been put on "indefinite security hold" because it could scare potential witnesses into silence.

While many details of Michael's death remain a mystery, the final days of his life will soon be on the big screen.

Columbia Picture has been granted rights to air footage from the week leading up to the singer's death, which documents his preparations for his 50 sold-out London concerts.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff announced yesterday (10.08.09) he had approved a deal between Jackson's estate, concert promoter AEG Live and Columbia Pictures for a movie.

The film - entitled 'This Is It', the name given to the mammoth residency - is set to be released on October 30.