Jackson Suicide Worries?

As a jury decides Michael Jackson's fate in his child molestation trial, the pop star's father admits to concern that Michael could do something rash.

Joe Jackson and wife Katherine Jackson, Michael's mother, attended court almost every day, reports The Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman. But when they had to be away recently, says Kauffman, they asked security guards to keep a special watch on their son.

In an exclusive sitdown with the CBS News broadcast 48 Hours, Joe Jackson was asked by international interviewer Daphne Barak last week if he was worried when he left Michael Jackson alone.

"Well," responded Joe Jackson, "…naturally, it's a worry. But, you know, when you have a problem like this, and I did tell security that there was with him, the main security, to make sure he stayed and watched him pretty closely, you know? Because, when you're worried like this…it could be awful sometimes."

Asked pointblank Monday by The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith whether there is concern within the family that Michael Jackson might be suicidal, Jackson spokeswoman Raymone Bain said, "No. There is no concern like that, frankly. Michael is stressed. He's a bit nervous now, as anyone would be. He knows that his fate right now lies in the hands of 12 people. I've said continuously that he has a strong faith in God and a strong faith in the justice system. But despite his faith, it is natural for him to be nervous right now."

There seems little doubt about the physical toll the trial has taken on Michael Jackson.

"At the beginning of the trial," says Michael Jackson biographer and CBS News consultant J. Randy Taraborrelli, "Michael Jackson used to do warm-up exercises right in front of me, right in front of my seat. He would bend down. He would stretch. He was doing athletic exercises as if he was getting ready to perform. Now, I look at Michael Jackson three months later, and I can't even imagine him doing an exercise."

"He seems to be physically wilting," points out Court TV reporter Savannah Guthrie. "He has gotten so painfully thin that his shoulder blades stick out of his blazers."

Taraborrelli says the star's health never rebounded after he showed up in court wearing pajamas: "From that day onward, Michael Jackson just went into a very steady and slow decline. …My understanding is that Michael was 120 pounds when the trial began and that he's 105 pounds now. …It looks to me as if he feels his life is over."

Jackson claims to be in such severe back pain that he went to the hospital Sunday for the fourth time since the trial began, Kauffman notes.

Bain told Smith, "He told me (his back) had been bothering him all week, but based on all of the media frenzy that ensued before, he decided not to deal with it. With the back not feeling well, it gets cold in court, plus the stress of it all, sitting there, even though he has his mom and his family, and they've giving a strong sense of security for him, it's very difficult right now."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a longtime friend of Michael Jackson, was with him Sunday and says Michael Jackson is "in excruciating pain. You had the back problem…now compounded by falling again in the shower some time back. So the physical pain is real. …He feels both the physical pain and the stress. …But he feels he'll prevail. Michael has an amazing sense of inner strength."

Bain describes Jackson as "cautiously optimistic" about the verdict the jury will deliver.