To this day, Michael Jackson remains the undisputed "King of Pop". With adoring fans the world over, Jackson's popularity and fame are in no way waning, despite his death over a decade ago. Famously, Jackson owned Neverland Ranch, which employed over 100 people, and he had numerous hired hands away from the ranch as well. Subsequently, many of the superstar's employees have since spoken about what it was like working for the King of Pop.
Many of his employees have nothing but praise for the secretive star, lauding his kindness and generosity. Meanwhile, others have said quite the opposite and discussed an alleged dark side to the musician. Here's what Michael Jackson's employees have said about him.
10 He Had This One Weird Rule For His Employees
Undoubtedly, Michael Jackson was an eccentric character. It makes sense, then, that his employees had to follow some unusual rules.
According to Jackson's former maid Adrian McManus, he had a strict rule that his employees were forbidden from staring at him.
9 He Learnt To Speak Armenian So He Could Converse With His Driver
One of Jackson's long-time drivers was an Armenian man named Gokor. In a gesture of uttermost respect for his driver, Jackson actually learnt some Armenian so that he could converse with Gokor in his native language.
Gokor said that Jackson also did this out of respect for his children, so that the singer could discuss adult issues without upsetting them.
8 His Maid Said She Saw Disturbing Things At Neverland
Following allegations of abuse against minors, of which Jackson was acquitted, his maid Adrian McManus spoke out regarding what she saw at Neverland Ranch.
McManus has alleged that she saw abuse at the ranch. Moreover, she painted a very different picture of working with the star, in contrast to glowing praise from Jackson's other employees. "I feel that he was a manipulator," she told 60 minutes, "And I feel that anybody that came in contact with him - they've been destroyed."
7 He Was Driven In A Taxi To Avoid The Paparazzi
According to Gokor, Jackson often requested that he be driven in an ordinary taxi as a way of avoiding the paparazzi, especially when he was out with pal Macaulay Culkin.
He frequently took the then child actor out for ice-cream whilst hidden behind the anonymity of the taxi. Culkin has persistently denied that Jackson was an abuser.
6 He Liked To Prank His Employees
As Michael Jackson's personal trainer, Lou Ferrigno Sr., who is best known as the original Incredible Hulk, has said that Michael Jackson "was just a regular guy". Accordingly, a large part of Jackson's down to earth persona was his sense of humor.
Jackson would frequently prank call Ferrigno, who is 85% deaf, but the personal trainer took the pranks in good spirit.
5 His Bodyguards Loved Working For Him, But Were Confused About This One Thing
According to his many bodyguards, Michael Jackson was incredibly kind and generous. In particular, bodyguard Bill Whitfield has both defended and praised the King of Pop immensely.
But there was something that puzzled them: "We stayed with him out of loyalty... But there were times we were in hotels and credit cards were being maxed out and management were about to ask us to leave. This was Michael Jackson and I was thinking 'How is this happening?'"
4 His Business Adviser Said He Was On The Verge Of Bankruptcy
Perhaps we can shed some light on the bodyguards' bewilderment by taking a closer look at the King of Pop's personal finances. In 2003, his former business adviser Myung-Ho Lee filed a lawsuit claiming that Jackson was on the verge of bankruptcy.
According to Lee, Jackson was in $200 million debt due to extravagant expenses and also alleged that he was owed $12 million in unpaid wages. Jackson eventually settled the case out of court.
3 His Hair Stylist Said He Was Secretive, But Extremely Generous
Jackson was famously secretive about his hair, so he would sneak to his appointments with hair stylist Phinnie Thompson. To show his appreciation for all of Thompson's excellent work, Jackson bought him one of the first ever VCR TVs and an autographed photo.
2 His Bodyguard Said Jackson Was In Love With Princess Diana
According to his long time bodyguard, Matt Fiddes, Jackson was in love with Princess Diana and even wanted to marry her.
"Michael told me he loved her, and he was in love with her, and he wanted to marry her. He told me she was his ideal wife", Fiddes said. "He felt she was the only person in the world who could understand his life in terms of not being able to go anywhere, and the media stories that got out of hand."
1 His Security Guard Says He Believes Jackson's Accusers
The 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland made some damning allegations against the late singer, detailing years of horrific abuse. His former bodyguard Ralph Chacon said that he witnessed abuse and testified in the singer's 2005 trial. However, Jackson's defense lawyers questioned Chacon's motivations by drawing attention to the fact that he had been found guilty of stealing from Jackson.
His sister La Toya has also said that she believes the accusers and found Jackson's penchant for sharing a bed with children to be abnormal.