London, Mar 8 : It looks like King of pop Michael Jackson is suffering from stage-fright ahead of his big comeback announcement at the O2 Arena.

The singer was apparently caught drunk and lurching around the Lanesborough Hotel near Hyde Park in the early hours of Wednesday.

The 50-year-old had to be held up by minders and led back to his suite, but friends refused to blame it on the booze.

They insist that he was simply jet- lagged, unable to sleep and suffering from stage-fright ahead of his big comeback announcement.

"Michael shocked us with his behaviour," the News of the World quoted a hotel source, as saying.

"He was wandering around the lobby in the early hours looking completely spaced out.

"The security team had to help him back to his room. It was not what we were expecting at all.

"He was asking staff for DVDs to watch in his room as he was having problems sleeping. I am not sure he knew what time it was," the source added.

The singer made a series of frantic calls to his mum Katherine, 79, in the US for reassurance.

"Michael spent the first two days just shut away in his suite, trying to get his head around his comeback. But it was clear he was quite nervous about the whole thing," the source said.

"He had a series of long chats with his mum, seeking assurances that everything was fine. Even though he is 50, he seemed to need his mum's words to keep him focused," the source added. (ANI)