'MICHAEL WAS TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD'

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..

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

BY iOUISE GANNON

MICHAELS SISTER AND HIS CLOSEST CONFIDANTE, LA TOYA "JACKSON, REVEALS THE MAN BEHIND THE LEGEND - AND HOW HIS LOVED ONES ARE COPING A YEAR AFTER HIS DEATH

..

,."
BOND La Toya and Mlchael at the American Music Awards In 1981

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.; A CLOSE

a hotel suite in Las Vegas, La Toya Jackson n is talking about her brother Michael. "He's still here," she insists. "He's still with me and he's just waiting to let the world know. I have to ,believe he's here because . that's what keeps me safe. I have to believe he's still here for the sake of his little children." It sounds a bizarre thing to say, but then it's a mark of the very special bond between La Toya and her brother. Born just two years apart, the pair

were inseparable as children. "My mother used to say how we looked identical," she laughs. "Michael and I loved that. We loved to play together, to dance together. Michael would put on a Fred Astaire movie and we'd watch it and then he'd say to me: 'La Toya, you do the dance, then I'll do it.' I'd do the first few steps and then stop because I'd need to see it again to copy the rest. Michael would just start dancing - every step was exactly right. "Even as a child I knew Michael was different,

special. Everyone knows we had a strict upbringing, and that my brothers [Jackie, 59, Tito, 56, Jermaine, SS, Marlon, 53, and Randy, 48] were singing and dancing as children. But as a six year old it was Michael who would work out the moves. He'd be telling his older brothers where to stand, how to move - he'd even work out what they should all wear." In 1977, La Toya accompanied 19-year-old Michael to New York when he was filming The

'Even as a child, I knew he was special'

Wizard Of Oz movie The Wiz, in which he starred as the Scarecrow. "It was our big adventure together. We were these kids in New York who had never had any freedom. We were so close," she remembers. "He'd work and then we'd go out shopping. We'd buy clothes, lots of men's suits and hats then we'd come back, put on a Kenny Rogers album and dress up. Michaelloved us to wear identical clothes and we'd stand in front of the mirror and laugh. "People don't realise that Michael had this amazing sense of humour. He'd love me to go out with him and see his fans. He loved to play cat and mouse with them. This was in the days before mobile phones but, wherever Michael was, fans would turn out in their hundreds. He loved them. He loved them chasing him about town. For him it was fun. "He never went off the rails. Michael was always very spiritual. He had this inner goodness and trust, which was what made him so beautiful, but also made him so vulnerable to people who wanted to take advantage." Later, however, La Toya's own relationship with Michael took a dramatic twist. After their strict Jehovah's Witness upbringing, in 1989 she stunned the family by stripping off for Playboy aged 32 and marrying her manager, Jack Gordon. When Michael was first accused of child abuse in 1993, La Toya appeared at a press conference and denounced her brother. The singer later claimed she was in fear of her own life during her abusive marriage in which her husband locked her in rooms, beat her and threatened to kill Michael. It took four more years before she escaped and returned to her family. "The most amazing thing about Michael

was that he never held any of that against me," she says. "I remember when I'd got away from this total hell I'd been through where I'd been beaten, abused, controlled and forced to say those terrible things about Michael, which I didn't for a moment believe, he held out his arms and just hugged me. I was crying saying: 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.' He just held me tight and said: 'I am your brother, I always knew it wasn't you saying those words.' I told him I loved him and he looked me in the eyes and said: 'I will always love you more.'" La Toya says her greatest regret about Michael is that he never learnt how to mix with real people. "Michael was never really into going out on dates," she says. "He always told me that he'd never marry until he was in his 40s because he had so much he wanted to achieve. The loves of his life were always his music, his family and his children." Although, Michael married Usa Marie Presley in 1994 aged 35 and Debbie Rowe in 1996 aged 38, La Toya says he never really fell in love. "The hardest thing about being a Jackson is this feeling of being isolated from normality. I fought very hard against that. The reason I wanted to do Celebrity Big Brother last year is that I wanted to mix with people who I'd never normally meet. "Michael was fascinated when I went into the Big Brother house. We even talked about him coming on the show as a huge surprise. He loved the idea but he was also terrified because being as famous as Michael makes you very scared. He never had a single day of his life that he remembered not being famous." Despite their problems, La Toya remained the woman closest to Michael - his beloved older sister. She was at the hospital on the day that he died, she signed the death certificate and right now she is committed to an ongoing case of involuntary manslaughter against his doctor, Dr Conrad Murray. "There are lawyers, investigators, a lot of people working on this. It's taking a long time but it's still going on. I honestly believe that Michael died because the people around him were evil. "He was being controlled, mentally controlled, and the people who surrounded him in the last year tried to keep his family away so we couldn't get to him," she says. "There is so much about his death that doesn't make sense. I get so angry when I think about his final hours. My brother was surrounded by very bad people before he died. It breaks my heart because I was in that situation in my life and Michael was the one who helped me through it. "Even now a lot of people around me say to end this fight but I won't. I'll carry on, no matter what it takes. I'm doing it for Michael." "So many times I look up at the sky and I expect him to appear. To do something amazing

'The loves of his life were . his

mUS1C,

his family and his children,

but he
never really fell in love'

---------+---------

THE DTHE HS
BY DOMINIC UTTON

MICHAEL lACKSON'S MUSIC WAS LEGENDARY; BUT AS HIS FAME GREW SO DID THE STORIES SURROUNDING HIM. HERE WE SORT THE BIZARRE TALES FROM THE STRANGE TRUTH ...
THRILLER WAS NEARLY BINNED BEfORE ITS RELEASE TRUE

The biggest-selling album of all time was nearly abandoned - because Michael wasn't happy with the songs. In an early '80s interview, the star recalled: "Thriller sounded so c""p. The mixes sucked. When we listened to the album, there were tears - I cried like a baby. I stormed out of the room and said: 'Call CBS and tell them they are not getting this album. We are not releasing this.' I felt terrible. I borrowed a bicycle and rode up to the school yard and watched the children play. When I got back, I was ready to rule the world. I went into the studio and turned the songs out."

claimed that he slept in it every night in the hope of extending his life by 1SO years. But not only was the story untrue, it was invented by Michael himself after he posed for the picture during a hospital visit. He released the rumour to appear more "enigmatic".

3 HE TRIED TO BUY THE ELEPHANT MAN'S BONES fALSE

In the late '80s it was reported that Michael wanted to buy the remains of Joseph Merrick- aka The Elephant Man - and had even offered The London Medical College almost 700,000 for the 100-yearold bones. The rumour was later found to be made up - once again, by Jackson's own publicity team. In 1993, Michael said: "I love the story of the Elephant Man. It made me cry because I saw myself in the story. But no, I never asked for the bones. Where am I going to put some bones?"

HE SLEPT OXYGEN TENT 2 HELP HIM IN ANLONGER fALSE TO LIVE

In 1986 the National Enquirer published a photo of Michaellying in an oxygen chamber. It was

BUBBLES SLEPT HIS TRUE 4 AND SHARED HISINTOILETBEDROOM

Adopted as a baby chimp in the early '80s, Bubbles became Michael's most-loved pet and a constant companion. He sat in on recording sessions of the Bad album and was on set while the video was

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'MYSON,THE SUPERSTAR'
-------+ ------KATHERINE lACKSON OPENS UP THE FAMILYALBVM TO SONIA [OWE AND REVEALS HOW SHE ALWAYS KNEW HER SON WAS DESTINED FOR FAME

hen I heard Michael had died, I never imagined I'd meet his mother, Katherine. Nor that she would be granting me a front-row seat to the story of her son's life. Yet there I was as she opened up her home and heart to share previously unseen pictures and intimate family stories for a book I was editing. My friend, Howard Mann - owner of possibly the world's largest collection of Jackson memorabilia - asked me to help sort through the family's 16,000 photos, videos and personal effects he held as CEO of Vintage Pop Media. On the question of: "What are we going to do with a bunch of MichaeI's stuff?" the answer was: "Go to his family. Ask Katherine to share the untold story." Katherine saw this book as her chance to preserve Michael's legacy. Every week

for three months, she invited us to her estate in Encino, California - Michael's home before Neverland. There, we caught a glimpse into the lives of Michael's children. When they weren't frolicking with their cousins, Prince and Paris seemed to have the average tween-age disposition when adjusting to new surroundings. Blanket, on the other hand, kept to himself. It wasn't uncommon to be caught in the trajectory of his imaginary laser gun. We sifted through thousands of photos and the stories flowed. Katherine remembered spotting Michael's talent as a baby: he would sit on the washing machine as she did laundry, 'dancing' with a bottle in his mouth. She also recalled the lessons she instilled to protect him from fame, telling him: "What you do on stage is just a job." She didn't want him to believe that being a celebrity made him better than anyone else.

She seemed no different from any other mum ... only her son was one of the most influential recording artists ever. This book, we hope, will become a tribute to Michael's remarkable life - the son, the artist and the man.

Proceeds from the book will be split between Katherine, Michael's three children, and the Voices Against Brain Cancer charity.

A CHILD STAR IS BORN:

FROM GARY; INDIANA, TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD

PRETTY YOUNG THING

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was Joe and Katherine . Jackson's seventh child and brother to Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, .Marlon.- ,.Maureen (aka Rebble), Randy and Jaflet. He was already showing his charm aged two.

EARLY PROMISE
By 1966, the Jackson Brothers (Michael, Jackie, Marlon, Jermaine and Tito) were making a splash winning local talent shows. This rare photo shows one of their earliest incarnations as 'The Jackson 5 and Johnn'. (Johnn being drummer Johnny Jackson no relation to the family.)

TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE

After the release of Michael's debut solo album, also called Got To Be There, the young singer became the world's biggest teen pin-up. But he was still just a little boy - as his excitement on a 197Z visit to the Houses of Parliament shows.

'I don't sit at the piano and think: "I'll write the greatest song of all time." It has to be given
to you.'

'1 have always loved

show business and making people happy. 1love the celebration of music and dance and art. 1love it'

he

Santa
M ornia in 2004 after his 14-week trial on child molestation charges. He was later found innocent on all counts.

'I had No 1 records in 1969 and '70, and still entered the charts in 2001 at No1. I don't think any other artist has that range. It's a great honour.'

BILLIE JEAN
Contrary to rumours that the song, released in 1983, was about a mentally disturbed obsessive who claimed Michael fathered her child, MJ maintained Bilfie Jean was really about the hordes of groupies that followed him while he was in The Jackson Incredibly, Thriller producer Quincy Jones initially disliked the song and even suggested Jackson change the title in case fans presumed it was - wait for it - about tennis legend Billie Jean King. Thankfully, Michael refused to budge.

DIRTYDIANA
Like Billie Jean, Michael's 1988 hit told the story of a particularly full-on groupie. As with his earlier song, the internet is awash with speculation as to who the Diana of the title may be. From the possible (Diana Ross, Michael's life-long friend) to the preposterous (Princess Diana), Michael quashed both rumours during an interview with US TV journalist Barbara Waiters, saying he wrote it about obsessive fans in general.

s.

BEN
Think of an animal associated with Michael Jackson and the first to pop up is his pet chimp, Bubbles. But the furry subject of his debut solo N01 in 1972 was a slightly less endearing creature - a rat. Co-written by Brit songwriter Don Black, who also wrote songs for several Bond movies, Ben was the subject of a film and was originally intended for that other child star of the time, Donny Osmond. Nineteen years later, the song featured in an episode of The Simpsons in which Michael himself guest starred.

BEAT IT
The third single from Thriller, released in 1983 - featuring rock legend Eddie Van Halen on guitar - was an attempt to move towards a tougher sound. Producer Quincy Jones said he suggested Michael write something with the spiky edge of The Knack's 1979 hit, My Sharona, while Michael told Rolling Stone: "I wanted to write something totally different from the rock music I was hearing on Top 40 radio." The lyric: "Don't be a macho man," is rumoured to be a dig at his father, Joe.

BAD
Jackson originally planned the 1987 single Bad as a duet with that other enigmatic superstar, Prince. But the purple one backed out, believing that the song would be a winner with or without him. The lyrics were inspired by a true crime story Michael read in a US news magazine. "It's about this kid from a bad neighbourhood who gets to go away

'I wanted to write something different from the music Iwas hearing on the radio'

WE ARE THE WORLD

Although not strictly a Jackson song, the 1985 charity single for African famine relief was written by Michael and fellow Motown legend Lionel Richie. The single sold more than 20 million copies and raised over 43.5million. According to Michael's sister La Toya, he found writing the song a "very emotional" experience. But his lyrics didn't please everyone. The line: "There's a chance we're taking, we're taking our own lives," was changed to: "There's a choice we're taking, we're saving our own lives," as Lionel and producer Quincy Jones were worried the line might be seen as a reference to suicide.

EARTH SONG
Michael was ahead of his time when it came to environmental issues. Speaking in 2007 about what inspired him to write Earth Song, released in 1995, he said: "I knew [global warming] was coming, but I wish they would have gotten people's interest sooner. That's what I was trying to do with Earth Song, Heal The World, We Are The World - to open up people's consciousness."

BLACK OR WHITE
A plea for racial tolerance and perhaps a wry comment on the world's obsession with hisskin tone, this was 1991's biggest-selling single globally. The video - featuring Jackson's childstar pal Macaulay Culkin, now 29 - saw characters of all races morphing into one another, while the lyric: "I ain't scared of no sheets," refers to the white cloaks worn by the Ku Klux Klan. Many broadcasters cut the final four minutes of the 11-minute video, which featured some suggestive crotch grabbing and window smashing.

to a private school," Michael revealed. "He comes back to the old neighbourhood when he's on a break from school and the kids from the neighbourhood start giving him trouble." The real student in the story was killed by his former 'street' friends but Bad's video, directed by Martin Scorsese, glossed over this part.

THRILLER
We all know the legendary John Landis-directed video, but a true thriller legend was involved in making this 1984 record - horror-flick veteran Vincent Price. According to Thriller's Brit-born writer, Rod Temperton, Vincent was a pal of Quincy Jones' wife, so was a natural choice to recite the creepy spoken word section. Unfortunately, when asked if he'd like a flat fee of 14,000 or a cut of the royalties, Price - then 71 - went for the former, missing out on a hefty retirement fund.

HEAL THE WORLD

World-famous animal-welfare activist Jane Goodall revealed that Michael wrote the song, released in 1992, after she explained the tragic plight of the world's chimpanzees to him. "He loved chimpanzees," she said. "He liked their faces. They made him smile." Jane says the singer, whose Heal The World Foundation raised millions for disadvantaged children around the globe, asked her for tapes of the animals in distress so he could "be angry and cry" while writing the song.

~S

FAR FROM BEING FINANCIALLY NAIVE, WE REVEAL THAT THE DEALS lACKSON STRUCK IN THE PAST ARE SET TO MAKE A FORTUNE IN THE FUTURE
BY ALBERT JUDE

MIC rs NEW MILLIONS D

uringhis four decades as a global superstar, Michael Jackson made - and spent millions. Both extravagant and unfailingly generous, he was as famed for his outrageous spending habits - once blowing 100,000 in a single shopping spree at Harrods - as he was for the sheer brilliance of his music. Michael's earning potential was unprecedented. The 1982 Thriller album alone made him an estimated 75m. He broke a world record in 1991, when he renewed his contract with Sony for 40m, and in 1993 he sold the rights to his Dangerous World Tour to TV station HBO for a reported 10m. He was a multimillionaire - but he could spend the money too. In 1988, he bought the Neverland ranch for 10m, and spent a fortune transforming it into a theme park. It cost 3m a year just to run.

'He's worth more dead than when he was alive'

There were plenty of stories about his outrageous spending habits, of huge sums blown in wild shopping trips and madcap schemes to buy the latest toys and fads. By the time of his death last year, he was believed to have accrued 346million in personal debt. But was he really so financially naive? Checks on his finances since his death suggest Michael was more savvy than people gave him credit for. In 1984, he bought the rights to much of the Beatles back catalogue for 32.5m in a move recognised as a brilliantly shrewd bit of business. At the time of his death, despite huge personal debts, his estate held half of the Sony / ATV music catalogue - which controls over 250 Beatles songs, including Yesterday and Hey Jude and is worth about 60Sm. Even the 1Om he paid for Neverland now looks like good value: although he sold off a portion of

movie This Is It, featuring unseen rehearsal footage for his London gigs, which raked in 181m worldwide. That figure is expected to double once DVD sales are added. In the last year, Sony has also sold some 31 million Michael Jackson albums across the globe, including 5 million album sales for the This Is It movie soundtrack. In all, it's thought to have generated a further 155m. But the real money is yet to be made - a deal struck earlier this year looks set to bring us the exciting prospect of never-before-heard Michael Jackson material. John Branca, co-executor of Michael's estate, predicts. fans will clamour for the new songs. "They've got more than 60 un released recordings that they're choosing from. The first Clockwise from top: The rights to the Beatles back catalogue album will have around 10," he says. netted Jackson millions; his "There's some recent stuff and vintage stuff estate still owns half of Neverland; that deserves to be shared with Michael'sfans." the This Is It movie raked in the In March, Sony and administrators for cash after his death Jackson's estate signed a 173m contract for the rights to 10 new "projects" over seven years. The the ranch in 2008, half is still held by the Jackson 10 "musical items" are expected to include estate and is worth an estimated 24million. un released albums containing these new songs, as Most extraordinary of all, however, are his well as computer games and movie releases. earnings since his death. In just one year, Michael It all adds up to a cool 509m made in the year has generated more than 509m. The incredible since Michael's tragic death. This goes some way to fortune is expected to climb even higher once sales backing controversial comments made by his dad, from souvenirs, memorabiiia and DVDs are added. Joe, 81, who once commented that his sonwas And that's just the beginning: experts predict that "worth more dead than when he was alive". -like Elvis and the Beatles - Michael's music could And the figure is still climbing. The Jackson continue to generate millions for decades to come. estate recently announced a deal with Cirque du The cash amassed in the past year will help SoleiI. It will see a string of new projects, beginning wipe out the personal debts - and secure a future with an international arena tour starting in late 2011, for his three children, Prince, 13, Paris, 12, and and a permanent Las Vegas show. Although specific Prince Michaelll, aka Blanket, eight. details are being kept under wraps, the show As the News Of The World revealed last month, promises to be a "live entertainment experience Michael set up trust funds in his will for each of his based on the music and songs", according to the children - and the huge amount raised in the last promoters. Michael's estate and Cirque du Soleil year has already made each of them worth 23m. will split ownership of the project, but the full value Michael's mother Katherine is also entitled to of the deal remains a closely guarded secret. 68m from the legacy - though his dad Joe and It's still unclear just how much of the huge his siblings receive nothing. sums will filter into Michael's In another example of his personal estate, legally surprising financial acumen, controlled by his mum under the terms of the Michael Katherine, 80, who is guardian Jackson Family Trust Fund, million: the total to Michael's children - but it is the children can apply to fund number of thought to run into hundreds trustees for cash when they worldwide record sales. of millions. reach 21, but they will have to Thenumber of And John Branca has be 30 before they get free access Grammy awards won. admitted that the true value to their share - and 40 before million: the of the Michael Jackson brand they can claim the full amount. number of after his death could bring By that time, marketing experts singles sold in Britain. untold revenue. reckon the pot could contain as The consecutive "If you look at Elvis and the much as a 1billion. weeks Thriller spent in Beatles, and how their brands The enormous cash boost the US Top 10 album charts. are thriving, they only hint at comes mostly thanks to a string Number of solo Nol what the future holds for of lucrative deals with his estate, singles in the UK. Michael," he says. including the release of concert

Michael's albums won plenty of awards, including these four at the 1996 World Music Awards

MICHAELIS CHANGING FORTUNES

Jackson died a reported 346m in debt, but as the balance sheets show, his assets and earnings in the last year more than wipe that out... ASSETS .605m in trust, from 50% share of Sony/ATV Publishing, which owns the Beatles catalogue. 24.1m half share in former Neverland ranch. 12m collectibles and memorabilia due to be auctioned this year. 7.2m annual income from royalties on own music catalogue. EARNINGS 181m grossed from This Is It movie. l73m album deal with Sony. 155m from selling 31m albums worldwide. TOT/\L P{~()f~T~ Et1':7,3r-n

MJ IN NUMBERS

750 13 115 BO 7

THE DAY THE M

WITHIN HOURS OF MICHAEL'S DEATH, MEMORIALS SPRANG UP ALL AROUND THE GLOBE. FROM LA TO LONDON, THE WORLD PAID TRIBUTE TO THE KING OF POP

('"

Chinese mourners gather in Beijing for a candlelit vigil

In Bucharest, spontaneous tributes adorned street corners of the capital

Fans in Munich set up a pilgrimage site at the base of a statue on Promenadeplatz

Tribesmen from the remote Masai Mara perform a poignant MJ-inspired dance

Michael's star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame became a shrine for fans

SIC DIED

A shrine in Bangalore, India, a country Michael once described as "my special love"

In Eindhoven, one of the statues used to promote the 1995 album History drew mourners from across the country

Fans in Warsaw honoured Michael with flowers and messages

]USTIN TIMBERlAKE, 29
"Growing up in Tennessee, I never really understood the phenomenon that was Michael Jackson or the pandemonium that followed him around. I just heard certain songs that I loved as a kid and gravitated toward those songs. It just so happens that 99.79 per cent of his songs are perfect. The other whatever percentage are works of art as well. You don't imitate it, but you know when you have something that he had. You could tell he was just excited about the music he was doing. That's the feeling you get sometimes and that's when you feel like the king. That type of energy, that kinetic energy into the music, I think that's what we all try to emulate."

LIONEL RlCHIE,

61

"When it came to Michael, you couldn't get to 'regular'. From seven or eight years old, this brother was singing. I remember him coming home from tutoring and going right to the studio. With his whole being he only wanted to be the biggest and the best there was."

WHITNEY

HOUSTON,

46

"It is so hard to express in words what Michael Jackson meant to me. He was my friend. He was one of the reasons I got into the music business. He inspired me. He taught me. He laughed with me."

WI LL.I.AM, 35, BLACK EYED PEAS

"I was raised in the projects and when you're around violence and people going to prison, all you have for an escape is music. I'd listen to Off The Wall and Thriller and zone out. Around 2005 he called me out of the blue and said: 'We should work together.' I know he was depressed about how the world looked at him but to still be excited about music - going to rehearsals, knowing people were going to criticise him ... the dude was superhuman."

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, 29
"Growing up in Tennessee, I never really understood the phenomenon that was Michael Jackson or the pandemonium that followed him around. I just heard certain songs that I loved as a kid and gravitated toward those songs. It just so happens that 99.79 per cent of his songs are perfect. The other whatever percentage are works of art as well. You don't imitate it, but you know when you have something that he had. You could tell he was just excited about the music he was doing. That's the feeling you get sometimes and that's when you feel like the king. That type of energy, that kinetic energy into the music, I think that's what we all try to emulate."

LlONEL

RICHIE,

61

"When it came to Michael, you couldn't get to 'regular'. From seven or eight years old, this brother was singing. I remember him coming home from tutoring and going right to the studio. With his whole being he only wanted to be the biggest and the best there was."

WHITNEY

HOUSTON,

46

"It is so hard to express in words what Michael Jackson meant to me. He was my friend. He was one of the reasons I got into the music business. He inspired me. He taught me. He laughed with me."

WILLLAM,35,

BLACK EYED PEAS

"I was raised in the projects and when you're around violence and people going to prison, all you have for an escape is music. I'd listen to Off The Wall and Thriller and zone out. Around 2005 he called me out of the blue and said: 'We should work together.' I know he was depressed about how the world looked at him but to still be excited about music - going to rehearsals, knowing people were going to criticise him ... the dude was superhuman."