Michael Jackson Seriously Ill?

[The Core DJ's]

It started as a U.K. tabloid report sourcing an unofficial biographer, but it’s grown into one of today’s most talked about news items — Michael Jackson is rumored to be battling an illness that has left him half-blind and in dire need of a lung transplant. According to Jackson biographer Ian Halperin, the singer is suffering from a disease called Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, or A1AD, a genetic disorder that depletes a protein that protects both the liver and lungs. Jackson is reportedly suffering from chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, 95 percent blindness in his left eye and emphysema, one of the major symptoms of A1AD. Halperin says the illness has left Jackson barely able to speak and adds, “He needs a lung transplant, but may be too weak to go through with it.”

The claims are shocking, but it’s worth noting that at least a few of Halperin’s other assertions don’t hold up. The first line of Halperin’s biography reads “Ian Halperin is also a former winner of the Rolling Stone magazine Award for Investigative Journalism.” This came as news to us, so we looked in our own archives and discovered this claim has been greatly exaggerated: He did win an RS honor, but it was the College Journalism Award in 1985 and it was split among the staff at Concordia University’s student newspaper in Montreal. Halperin also co-wrote a pair of “Kurt Cobain was murdered, maybe” books, scandalous biographies about James Taylor and Celine Dion (title: Behind The Fairytale - A Very, Very, Unauthorized Biography) and a new book called Hollywood Undercover: Revealing the Sordid Secrets of Tinseltown (not exactly The Greatest Generation).

Still, Halperin’s claims are intriguing: Jackson was seen in a wheelchair earlier this year and The Sun quotes his brother Jermaine saying, “He’s not doing so well right now. This isn’t a good time.” Plus, Jackson did claim to be sick when he was avoiding that whole Bahrain lawsuit trial in London. We put out calls to Halperin as well as reps for Jackson, but have yet to get a response.

[Miss Nappy BoooY]

Oh I read about this a few days ago I hope he get better, he's always in my prayers.

[Swissivory]

God Bless the king of Pop, he's been ill-treated by the media because of his skin disease and his entire lifestyle messed him up. Shame on the people who brought him down. Same thing with Lauryn Hill... You think this is a coincidence? all great legends either go crazy or end up dead from illness and/or commit suicide...

[ZyeCha Inc. CEO/Founder PRINA]

If true he's in my prayers and if this is a lie god bless this man, because this is not cool.