Read the Paranoid Michael Jackson Letters That Reveal How He Went to the Grave Convinced There Was a Conspiracy to Kill Him

Resurfaced personal letters penned by the troubled King of Pop Michael Jackson illustrate the depths of his paranoia in the months leading up to his 2009 drug overdose death, OK! can reveal.

The letter first came to light after Michael's daughter, Paris Jackson, made headlines in an interview when she was 18, claiming her late father Michael – who died at the age of 50 in 2009 from a cardiac arrest due to a drug overdose – was the victim of a murder plot.

Paris, now 28, said of her theory: "It's obvious. All arrows point to that... it was a set-up."

And it seems the paranoia apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Fans have marked the 17th anniversary of Michael's passing by sharing letters, handwritten by the King of Pop during the tumultuous last months of his life, show Michael was convinced he was going to die at the hands of his perceived enemies.

"He had letters everywhere – on the bedroom door, the side of the bed, the bathroom door, the living room," said Michael Jacobshagen, who stayed close with the superstar after befriending him at age 11, and who discovered the notes during his last visit with Michael nearly eight years ago.

And while Michael's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was eventually convicted of involuntary manslaughter for administering a deadly cocktail of prescription drugs to his patient, the close friend revealed: "Michael had problems and trust issues with almost everyone, especially in management. He wanted to stop going on tour and doing concerts. He was paranoid about being financially ripped off – he was convinced he would be murdered by someone wanting to gain control of his ($750 million) music publishing catalogue – and he was in constant pain. One of his notes read, 'Evil people, everywhere!'"

A family connection led to the pop star's friend being introduced to Michael in 1995 during a trip to Disneyland in Paris.

"Someone brought me to his suite, and I walked in, and he gave me a big hug," recalled the friend, who ended up traveling with Michael during the next two years on the HIStory tour.

"I traveled with him around the world to over 40 concerts, having backstage access, staying in his private hotel suites," he says.

Shockingly, given the accusations of sexual abuse which would haunt Michael years later, the close friend admits he usually slept in the star's bed – but that Michael never crossed the line.

"He asked my mom if I could sleep in his bed, and I said, 'Why not,'" he reveals. "He would have his arm around me and kiss me on the head, but never ever did anything sexual happen. He was a grown man, but he thought as a child – and that's why, for him, it was absolutely normal."

Michael's mental state deteriorated terribly as the years went by, reveals the friend, who visited him for the last time in April 2009 in Las Vegas – just two months before he died.

"Michael was a broken man, and he looked so old and tired – so different from the man I knew in the '90s," he recalls. "He was so alone. He had nobody anymore, no friends, just his children. And that's why he was so mad inside."

Michael's personal physician Conrad served about two years of a four-year sentence for his part in Michael's death, and now operates a private clinic in Trinidad and Tobago.

His medical licenses in the United States were revoked or suspended following his conviction.