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Doctor: 'Jackson saw face as piece of art'
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-07-09 13:56

Doctor: 'Jackson saw face as piece of art'

Michael Jackson's former dermatologist has claimed that the late singer viewed his appearance as "a piece of art".

Dr Arnold Klein, who had known the star for more than 20 years, told Good Morning America that he had diagnosed Jackson with lupus and had seen evidence of the skin disease vitiligo.

"It blew me away because here I'm diagnosing the most famous person in the world with a very serious ailment," he said.

Klein went on to say that Jackson's skin began to be marked with "severe speckling", meaning that immediate action had to be taken.

"At the same time he was in the hands of plastic surgeons who didn't know when to stop," he said. "But he felt he was a piece of art, that his face was a piece of art."

He also denied allegations that he had prescribed Jackson with powerful painkillers in the weeks leading up to his death.