Believe It or Not!
August 17th, 2009 by Penny Hagerman
Following the recent passing of the ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson, the media and public alike have been all abuzz speculating about the way he died.
Was it murder? Suicide? Or just an accident?
Though Jackson’s notoriety places him on a different level than most of us, we’re all affected differently when someone we know and love passes away. Some of us struggle to believe that person was here one minute, then suddenly gone the next; others, more familiar with loss, simply grieve, accept death—and move on.
Regardless how you deal with it, being left behind is never easy. In addition to the emotional turmoil that accompanies losing a dear loved one, there may also be final expenses to pay, medical bills to cover, moves to make, life insurance claims to file and other life situations to settle.
But sometimes, when people die under mysterious circumstances, that’s all overshadowed by speculation, as in the case of MJ.
Life insurance companies have heard all the wacky stories: people disappearing, then found dead in the strangest of places; some dying for no apparent reason at all, then autopsied and a strange condition found; others meeting their demise in a place or situation that completely defies reason.
Some of the stories are wackier than others—and some are simply a matter of timing or circumstance. But regardless how they occur, death comes to us all…it’s just that some people really go out in style!
August 18th, 2009 at 1:55 am
You mentioned that Life insurance companies have heard of “wacky stories” of people disappearing and found dead in strange places. Could these people have had financial difficulty, that would cause them to go to strange places and turn up dead in order for the family to claim on their Life insurance?
August 20th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Hi, Kirsten, thanks for reading. You bring up a valid point: In times like these, when people lose their jobs, their homes and the ability to provide for their families, some would do almost anything to make a buck.
But in some situations, strange things do happen, leading to accidents that no one could have predicted, like the deaths referenced in this article. Though some of them read like a Ripley’s tale, who’s to say what really happened—unless someone was present and actually witnessed it? I’m sure it would be difficult to prove either way, which is why insurance companies are so thorough when investigating life insurance claims.
I read recently that Michael Jackson’s life insurance policy paid out into a trust fund for his children. But we still don’t know his cause of death for sure. I think sometimes the insurance companies have to go with whatever makes the most sense.
September 7th, 2009 at 8:02 am
I totally agree that there are possiblities that could lead people to do crazy things but there are times when others will do to you for money what can’t even imagine. These are the harsh realities of life. One must do everything possible to safeguard themselves from such incidents.