November 19, 2009 3:41 PM ET
Janet Jackson admitted she was shocked when she learned her brother Michael's drug addiction had spiraled into the use of the powerful sedative Propofol in an interview with ABC's In the Spotlight that aired last night. "That was a shocker to me and it just — that's serious," Jackson said. "That's heavy. That's heavy. None of us knew to that extent."
Look back at Michael Jackson's remarkable career, in photos.
As Rolling Stone previously reported, Janet said she blames the physician who was at Michael's side when he suffered cardiac arrest, Dr. Conrad Murray, for her brother's death, because Murray administered the drug that was named as the primary cause of his premature demise. Janet isn't the only one pointing fingers at Murray: Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide, and Murray is the lone suspect in the investigation into the King of Pop's June 25th death. No charges have been filed yet.
Janet also revealed that she and her family were aware of Michael's addiction but not the severity of it. On several occasions, Janet said she tried to talk to her brother about his problem. "Of course, that's what you do. Those are the things that you do when you love someone," Jackson said. "You can't just let them continue on that way. And we did a few times. We weren't very successful. You can't make 'em drink the water. It's something that you can't do for them. Something they have to do for themselves."
Jackson also said Michael was "possibly" in denial regarding his own addiction to Propofol. She also discussed growing up in the famous Jackson family, her relationships with Jermaine Dupri and first husband James DeBarge and her own Number Ones greatest hits comp, which was released this week. "I needed to get back to work," she said. "It helped me get through [Michael's death]. I was able to put a lot of my focus someplace else."
Related Stories:
• Janet Jackson Blames Dr. Murray for Michael's Death in Interview
• Janet Jackson Honors Michael With Dance Tribute at VMAs
• Michael Jackson's Death Officially Ruled Homicide
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