21 February 2010
Newsdesk
Michael Jackson trusted Dr Conrad Murray "with his life".
The 'Thriller' star, who died aged 50 last year, told friends Dr Murray was the only medical professional he would trust just days before his death of a Propofol overdose on June 25, 2009.
According to The News of the World, Jackson said: "My doctor is the best in the world.
"I feel completely comfortable with him. I trust this guy with my life. He's an incredible guy and understands what I need. He is a friend to me and my family.
"He makes me feel good about myself, and young again. Without him I wouldn't be able to function.
"I need him to make my body - this machine - work the way it does."
Jackson praised the doctor as he was preparing for a dress rehearsal in Los Angeles just two days before his death.
He was also insistent Dr Murray be paid £2 million to be available for him 24 hours a day.
The singer's manager Frank DiLeo, said: "I said, 'Michael, for $5 million, I'll buy you a hospital'. He said this guy was his family doctor. It made sense to me, to a degree."
Last week Dr Murray - who has pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter of Jackson - admitted he made a "mistake" with the version of events following Jackson's death he first gave to the Los Angeles Police Department.
His lawyer Michael Flanagan said: "Dr Murray's timeline of events that day when Michael Jackson died is wrong. Doctors make mistakes, and that is what he did, and it was simply that, a mistake."
Initially the doctor claimed to give Jackson Propofol at 10:50am, left the house momentarily and returned to find the pop star unconscious.
After trying to revive Michael, he then left it for an hour before he called emergency services and called a fellow patient of his to discuss the results of a heart scan.
However, Murray has now admitted there was an error in the timeline of events.
