MJ ‘Survived On One Meal A Day’

MICHAEL JACKSON was so worried about his looming comeback tour he often forgot to eat, according to the show's promoter.

The King Of Pop was booked to do 50 gigs at London's O2 arena, kicking off later this month and running into next year, and was in vigorous rehearsals for the spectacular shows before his death last week.

The show's director Kenny Ortega and AEG Live's boss Randy Phillips were keeping an eye on the star's food intake in the days leading up to his death - and they were shocked by how little Jackson was eating as he geared up for the mammoth run of gigs.

Phillips tells Britain's Daily Mirror, "He used to forget to eat because he was so focused and Kenny Ortega and I used to cut up his food and physically feed him."

But Phillips is adamant Jackson was fighting fit - despite his erratic eating habits.

He adds, "Frail, he certainly wasn't. He was always very thin but not to the point where he couldn't perform. He really kicked into high gear and was totally engaged in the last two weeks. Before that he was nervous and not really coming to rehearsals. But that was his schedule and that was how he wanted to do things.

"Michael did not have a gruelling schedule - he had Michael's schedule. He didn't need to rehearse that much. He was so talented that he didn't need to. When he started dancing, he was dancing better than the best 20 year old dancers in the world. He was that good."