MICHAEL Jackson took pills in the lead-up to his death because he was trying to put on the “greatest show on earth” and was too excited to sleep, his pal Akon exclusively told The U.S. Sun.

Speaking ahead of a bombshell documentary about the King of Pop’s demise, R&B star Akon explained how MJ’s drive was a “gift and a curse” as he prepared for a London concert residency in 2009.

And the Hold My Hand singer, 49, believes Jackson’s work obsession contributed to his death from an overd*se of anesthetic Propofol and benzodiazepines in LA in June that year.

Speaking in detail about Jackson’s downfall for the first time ever, Akon said: “He was so happy and excited that he was about to go to London and lock these 50 dates in and remind the world who he was and what his value was to pop music.

“He didn’t even sleep,” the star added. “That is why he was taking sleeping pills because he was too damn excited.

“He would be up for weeks at a time thinking about how he wanted everybody to have the most amazing experience, he wanted to create something that was going to be talked about for centuries.

“When you have that energy you don’t sleep.

“You are going to need help to get sleep because your mind is constantly moving and your energy and your flow [are] electric to the point where you cannot turn it off.”

Akon also offered insight into the winning mindset of his friend, who he collaborated with on the critically acclaimed Thriller 25 album.

The singer said: “He always pushed himself to the limit. He never compromised the best.
“He never believed there was something he could not accomplish or could not do.

“Even though his age prevented him from doing a lot of the moves that he did when he was younger, his mind told him ‘No, you can do this.

“I don’t care what you have got to do, you are going to show everyone, and show yourself and just do it.

“You are not going to complain. You are going to find a way to make it work. If you have to work out 25 hours a day to do it [and] when that day comes you are going to make it happen.’

“He was that kind of person. So he pushed himself to the limit and if he wasn’t satisfied he was going to stay there until he was satisfied.

“It is kind of a gift and a curse.”

‘A RECKONING’

The comments come ahead of the new Fox TV documentary TMZ Investigates: Who Really K.i.ll.ed Michael Jackson, which raises questions about the doctors who got MJ hooked on paink.il.lers.

His physician Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter for providing the dose of Propofol that k.i.l.le.d him.

But LAPD detective Orlando Martinez told the documentary it was “a lot more complicated than just Dr. Murray,” and other doctors had contributed to Jackson’s demise.

Martinez described Jackson’s death as “inevitable”, adding: “There are a lot of folks who are to blame that have never had a reckoning for his death.”
The documentary highlights how dermatologist to the stars Arnold Klein would provide Jackson with jabs of opioid paink.il.ler Demerol while treating him for acne spots.

Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe worked for Klein for 27 years and was a surrogate mother to Jackson’s kids Prince and Paris.

She admitted that she felt guilty about not doing more to help patients.

Rowe weeps during the documentary, revealing: “I was basically as bad as him [Klein). I regret that. I will regret it. And I am so sorry that I participated in it.”

A Jackson family source told The Sun on Monday that Rowe’s comments had left the star’s friends and relatives “dumbfounded”.

‘INEVITABLE’

Responding to the claim that MJ’s death was “inevitable”, St. Louis-born Akon said: “The way I view life, nothing happens without God’s permission.

“And I believe that if it happened it was for a purpose of whatever God had assigned for that purpose to impact us the way it did for it to happen the way it happened.

“From that spiritual standpoint, I think it was definitely inevitable.

“Now if you’re looking at it from a reality standpoint, I think anything, in reality, can be prevented.

“If the rumors are true, then clearly there should’ve been people around him that could’ve advised him against it.”

Akon spoke about his friend as he promoted his new single Enjoy That and the release of an EP called Konvict Kulture Presents Teemanay.

He explained: “In Enjoy That the chorus says, ‘Why have a life like mine if you don’t take the time to enjoy that s***?’
“It’s a reflection of all the stuff that I’ve been experiencing. I’m having the most amazing life, but the problem is I never really have time to enjoy it.”
Akon has also created energy company Akon Lighting to create clean energy in Africa and America and launched the Akon City project in Senegal to found a fully sustainable city in the West African nation.