Michael Jackson has Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, so severely he needs a lung transplant, according to a writer doing a biography of Jackson.
Many of us with Alpha-1 have said for years, "What we need is a celebrity with Alpha-1."
Michael Jackson was one of the biggest pop stars of the twentieth century. Would any of us have chosen him as our celebrity? Don't think so. Michael has made himself a running joke.
I'm old enough to remember when Michael was a cute little boy fronting the Jackson Five. I was never a fan, but I have a soft spot for that energetic family group and that bouncy, bubbly little kid. Michael grew into a hugely talented performer. He made mountains of money. He seems to have spent most of the last two decades blowing all of it, building another mountain of debt, and self destructing.
So does he have Alpha-1? Nobody is saying so except Ian Halperin, not a reliable source. (Example: Halperin's bio says he won the Rolling Stone magazine award for investigative journalism, which is news to Rolling Stone itself.)
Michael himself, through a spokesman, denies he has Alpha-1.
Michael ought to know the facts about his own health better than Halperin. But Michael himself has been so unreliable a source of information over the years, I find myself still wondering.
Leaving one more question: COULD Michael have Alpha-1? Is that possible?
Short answer: It's unlikely, but yes, he could.
Two facts to keep in mind:
- African-Americans can and do get Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. It's considered rare, but the Alpha-1 Foundation recently awarded a grant to study why many African-Americans are dying of lung disease, and test them for Alpha-1.
- Michael Jackson is a sad joke, but Alpha-1 is not. Let's hope all this attention to Michael leads to more people being tested for this badly under-diagnosed condition.