PRNewsFotoEven before Michael Jackson announced his comeback concerts in London -- later cancelled due to his death -- he was in less-than-excellent shape, according to emails connected to promoter AEG obtained by the Los Angeles *****.

Prior to Michael's London press conference in 2009 to announce his This Is It concerts, AEG’s Randy Phillips reportedly wrote to the president of AEG that the pop star was locked in his London hotel suite, "drunk and despondent," and was an "emotionally paralyzed mess riddled with self loathing and doubt now that it is show time."

Michael reportedly showed up to the press conference 90 minutes late and made remarks that some reporters, in the words of the Los Angeles *****, found to be "disjointed and strange."

An attorney for AEG tells the newspaper that Phillips had exaggerated Michael's condition in the emails.

Other emails obtained by the Los Angeles ***** indicate that Phillips wasn't the only one who worried about Michael's condition. A production manager referred to Michael in an email as a "basket case," and This Is It director Kenny Ortega wrote that Jackson showed "strong signs of paranoia, anxiety and obsessive-like behavior."

The newspaper further notes that AEG officials sent several emails to Conrad Murray, the doctor convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael's death, asking him to obtain the singer's medical records for insurance purposes. On the day Michael **** -- June 25, 2009 -- Murray responded, "Authorization was denied."

The Los Angeles ***** notes that the emails could be a factor in two lawsuits: a wrongful-death complaint against AEG brought by Michael's heirs, and another against AEG brought by the company that insured the concerts.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio