Reports have surfaced recently that the King of Pop has an illness that could claim his life and now the talk has intensified:

Michael Jackson’s pals fear the star has only six months to live, a shocking new report claims.

Reports in December claimed the Thriller hitmaker, 50, is battling a deadly genetic disorder and requires a lung transplant.

Although Jackson has denied the claims, American tabloid the National Enquirer says his health is deteriorating rapidly because of a crippling addiction to painkillers and alcohol.

A source told the publication, “It’s tragic. His condition is just so far gone, I’d be surprised if he lasts six months.

“Painkillers and booze have caught up with him. The only way he was able to cope with the stress of sex scandals and his roller-coaster life was to mask the pain with substance abuse.

“But the end result is an addiction that will kill him.

“His dependency on drugs dates back to when his hair was burned making a Pepsi commercial 25-years-ago. The drugs simply have ravaged him.

“He’s in really, really bad shape. He’s been sick for six to eight months and he just keeps getting worse.

“His muscles and lungs are deteriorating, and he’s bedridden much of the time. He can walk, but not for very long.

“On good days, Michael is able to take his kids to a bookstore. But he’s never out for more than an hour. He has very little strength…It’s ultimately in God’s hands.”

Ian Halperin, author of a new Jackson biography, said in December that Jacko had been diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency that can cause lung and liver disease. The condition, according to medical experts, is worsened by the star’s longtime addiction to morphine and the potent painkiller Demerol.

Halperin said a friend of the star told him, “Michael wants to have the lung transplant, but because of other illnesses he’s fighting, he’s too weak to undergo such a major procedure. He’s taking one painkiller after another.”

The Enquirer’s report follows hot on the heels of a British tabloid report that Michael has been getting his affairs in order - and has decided to leave his share of the Beatles back catalog to Sir Paul McCartney in his will.

A source recently told the Sunday Mirror newspaper, “Michael is worried about his health so decided it was time to look at his finances.

“Most of his estate has been divided up between his three children. But Michael told his lawyers he was sad he no longer talks to Sir Paul and said he wanted to make things right.

“Michael is suffering serious back and leg pain and has for a few years. He gets spasms in his back which means he spends a lot of time in bed and a wheelchair.

“He weighs just over seven stone and is very frail. He’s also had a nasty bout of emphysema and there have been reports he has another lung disease.”

A spokesman for Jackson has denied claims the star is ill. “Mr. Jackson is in fine health,” the rep said, adding that he is in negotiations for a concert tour and TV projects.

Many people immediately dismiss any stories coming from the Enquirer, but the rag has been known to be correct on some of its claims including the recent report that presidential candidate John Edwards was having an affair. I hope that this time they are incorrect.

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