Forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd uses the official autopsy report to reexamine the tragic death of singer Michael Hutchence. Sex god and global rock star Michael Hutchence was
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Forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd uses the official autopsy report to reexamine the tragic death of singer Michael Hutchence. Sex god and global rock star Michael Hutchence was the man who girls clamoured for and who men wanted to be. On Friday 21st November 1997, he was on the crest of a wave - about to hit the road with his supergroup INXS to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their smash hit album Kick - when he was found dead with a belt round his neck in room 254 of the Ritz Carlton in Sydney. With the aid of Coroner Derrick Hand, who presided over the original report into Hutchence's death, psychologist Anjula Mutanda, detailed dramatic reconstruction, archive and interviews with those close to Michael, Dr Richard Shepherd unravels the events and considers the state of mind that led up to the devastating moment that the rock god's life came to an abrupt halt, pulling no punches in the search for the truth behind his death. Hutchence died amid much speculation and rumour, so can Dr Shepherd discover the truth and finally draw a line once and for all about what went on behind door 254? Was it autoerotic asphyxiation or suicide? As he digs deep into the life of the rock icon, he gains an insight into the complex and confused mind of a man beset with multiple drug issues and afflicted by shyness and personal problems. Another important factor in this investigation is the impact of a head injury that Hutchence sustained in 1992 during a fight with a cab driver. Did this incident change his personality and his life forever? In the last hours of his life, Hutchence made several desperate phone calls to his girlfriend Paula Yates and her ex, Sir Bob Geldof, about Tiger Lily, his beloved daughter and the love of his life. Also considered is Hutchence's mindset as he set out to hang himself in room 254. Was he trying for a sexual high or had he just decided that he'd had enough?