In 2003, Vanity Fair published one of the strangest allegations ever attached to Michael Jackson. Reporter Maureen Orth claimed that three years earlier the superstar had become involved with spiritual practitioners who promised to destroy people he considered enemies. According to the report, the list contained 25 names and included two enormous Hollywood figures: David … Read more
Michael Jackson spent much of his final years surrounded by security, yet according to the two men guarding him, there was one part of his life he kept remarkably private. Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard said two women quietly visited Jackson while he was staying in Virginia. They never learned their real names. Michael referred … Read more
Michael Jackson could sell out arenas and command crowds almost anywhere he went, but one of his favorite places was far quieter. Away from the stage, Jackson was an obsessive reader who repeatedly disappeared into bookstores searching through history, science, art, poetry and anything else that caught his attention. His personal collection eventually reportedly reached … Read more
Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson were already two of the most famous people on Earth when their friendship produced one of Hollywood’s strangest gifts. After Jackson hosted Taylor’s 1991 wedding to Larry Fortensky at Neverland Ranch, her thank-you was not jewelry or a car. According to Taylor’s longtime assistant, she surprised Michael with a full-grown … Read more
At the height of his fame in the 1980s Michael Jackson kept up a family tradition that few outsiders ever expected. He went door to door as a Jehovah’s Witness. He used disguises and introduced himself as “Joe” (his middle name so he wasn’t technically lying). Friend Christian Volk recalled that people would look at … Read more
In November 1982 MCA released E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: The Storybook an audiobook narrated by Michael Jackson for Steven Spielberg and produced by Quincy Jones. It featured an original song “Someone in the Dark” written by Rod Temperton. Epic Records had approved the project under two clear conditions: the album could not come out until after … Read more
Michael Jackson was one of the most recognizable voices in music when The Simpsons pulled off a strange trick in 1991. Viewers heard him speaking through an animated character, yet his famous name never appeared in the credits. Stranger still, when that character started singing like Michael Jackson, the voice audiences heard was not actually … Read more
Michael Jackson was a dedicated Star Wars fan who kept life-size figures of Darth Vader, Boba Fett and C-3PO at Neverland. He had already collaborated with George Lucas on the 1986 Disney short film Captain EO. So it was not entirely surprising when the King of Pop expressed interest in joining the prequel trilogy. According … Read more
Michael Jackson was a genuine fan of Sonic the Hedgehog. In 1993 he took on the job of composing music for Sega’s upcoming game Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Working with longtime collaborator and keyboardist Brad Buxer the pair created a large batch of cues roughly 40 or more intended for the game’s levels and themes. … Read more
Michael Jackson developed a distinctive way of handling alcohol that blended privacy with practicality. He preferred white wine served inside ordinary Diet Coke cans and referred to it as “Jesus juice.” Red wine became “Jesus blood.” The practice was not a one-off quirk. Flight logs and passenger profiles from the charter companies he used listed … Read more