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American Morning
Michael Jackson's Death Stuns World; Autopsy Scheduled Today; Fans Remember Michael Jackson; What Killed Michael Jackson; Jackson's Former Spiritual Adviser Predicted Early Demise; Jackson's Pop Legacy Definitive
Aired June 26, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Carol Costello in for Kiran Chetry this morning.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes sitting in today for John Roberts.
We'll be holding you down today on what will be an interesting day of events. We saw an interesting day yesterday with the death of Michael Jackson, but a lot of questions now to get along with the shock and the sadness and disbelief. So let's get you started here, not just here in the U.S. but around the world.
Really millions of people mourning the death, the sudden death of Michael Jackson. All the developments will be right here for you. Right now, let's tell you what's happening.
Michael Jackson's body is at the medical examiner's office in Los Angeles. His autopsy scheduled to take place in a few hours. We might know the results of that autopsy by early afternoon we're being told.
Also, the Jackson family are starting to come together in Los Angeles. Overnight, Michael's sister, his most famous sister, Janet Jackson, released a statement saying she is "grief stricken and devastated at the sudden loss" of her brother. Also, fans from around the world gathering to remember Jackson's remarkable life, from the Apollo Theater and Harlem, New York, to his childhood home in Gary, Indiana, to Los Angeles where he lived.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Twitters and the Facebook just blew up with the news, and we're all devastated. It's kind of like my generation's Elvis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's the reason African-Americans are on MTV today. They refused to play black music until Michael Jackson. We really should respect that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw him live in concert in India when I was 12. I mean, that's how universal he is. I'm from 21,000 miles away, and I just grew up in his music. And the song "Heal the World," you know, "make it a better place," that just keeps ringing in my ears all the time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And this morning, we have our team reporters fanned out to cover this story like you will see it nowhere else. We're live in New York, Los Angeles. Again, that team of reporters, you'll be hearing from them all standing by to get reaction this morning.
COSTELLO: Yes. You know, everybody is wondering exactly how Michael Jackson died. An autopsy will be performed. Don Lemon is in Los Angeles in front of the coroner's office.
Don, any new word on exactly how Michael Jackson died?
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No word yet, but we're expecting that we can probably or will probably, Carol, get the results sometime this afternoon. Those results are expected, but it could take a little bit longer. Not exactly sure.
But the sad news came yesterday, yesterday afternoon that the king of pop had died. What led up to this? It's very interesting because one of the Jackson Five, Marlon Jackson, Michael Jackson's brother, said that Michael had been complaining about not feeling well overnight on Wednesday. And then Thursday morning, by the time his doctor got to him, someone had found him on the floor. He wasn't breathing. They tried to resuscitate him, ultimately couldn't and then took him by ambulance to UCLA Medical Center. And then from there he died, and his body was brought here to the coroner's office by helicopter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): In death as in life, Michael Jackson draws a massive crowd. Outside the UCLA Medical Center, shocked and grief- stricken fans simply wanted to be near the king of pop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard to believe and the first thing that came to mind was he gave his life to people. And we, you know, we should have been able to take care of Michael better.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michael was such a good guy. And it's so sad to hear that he died. And he was just coming back. He's an icon. You know, he's like our Elvis Presley, and it's really sad to hear that he's gone.
LEMON: Inside, some describe the surreal and chaotic scene with the sounds of Jackson's hit songs "Thriller" and "Beat It" echoing through the halls. Thursday afternoon, Jackson collapsed at his home. His personal physician tried to resuscitate him, and he was rushed to UCLA Medical Center.
JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S BROTHER: It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death was unknown until results of the autopsy are known.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the L.A. County sheriff rescue helicopter AR-5, air rescue 5.
LEMON: His body was flown by helicopter to the coroner's office, where an autopsy is scheduled. Police are also launching an investigation and plan to talk to Jackson's relatives and friends, but stressed there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
LT. GREG STRENK, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: The Los Angeles Police Department handles death investigations every day. Robbery homicide was assigned to this because of the high-profile nature of it. Don't read into anything as it relates to my team being here.
LEMON: But talking to CNN, a family attorney painted a much darker picture, saying he believes Jackson was abusing medication.
BRIAN OXMAN, JACKSON FAMILY ATTORNEY: The people who have surrounded him have been enabling him. If you think that the case of Anna Nicole Smith was an abuse, it is nothing in comparison to what we have seen taking place in Michael Jackson's life.
LEMON: A life filled with controversy, a career on the verge of a comeback.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: We're going to have much, much more on that family attorney who had some questions about Michael Jackson's possible drug use. We are going to talk to him and hear from him a little bit later on.
The interesting question here as well is what happens to Michael Jackson's three children. No one knows that for sure. Probably, the family will make some sort of announcement after they start to figure out what they're going to do about funeral arrangements and such.
But since I got here overnight, there were fans who were here at the coroner's office with boom boxes playing Michael Jackson's music and people driving by in cars playing his music as well. My colleague, Dan Simon, is on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where Michael Jackson has his star there, with the Jackson Five as well. And we have been hearing Michael Jackson's name screamed all night then and also hearing his music as well.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hey, Don, you can see the star here and people laying flowers and candles, and you can see the pictures. The star, basically, just opened up. People now have access to see the star. It was closed off earlier because of a red carpet film premier, but you can see people now starting to gather here.
The crowd is a little bit thin. But after all, it is just 3:00 in the morning here in Los Angeles. There's one person here, her name is Nicole. And she's actually from Las Vegas. And you made the drive here from Las Vegas yesterday.
NICOLE, MICHAEL JACKSON FAN: Yes.
SIMON: Tell us what brought you here.
NICOLE: I heard about it, actually heard about it right before it was announced that it actually happened. And then, I kind of already knew in my heart that maybe, you know, something might happen. So, we took the drive.
SIMON: Tell us what Michael Jackson meant to you.
NICOLE: Since I was like five years old, I started, you know, listening to his music. I had his glove. I had his jacket with the zippers. You know, I had everything. His music was just a legend. He was a legend in the making and still a legend.
SIMON: Antonio also here originally from Wisconsin. You said you're a huge Michael Jackson fan.
ANTONIO, MICHAEL JACKSON FAN: Huge, the hugest fan.
SIMON: Tell us what's going through your mind.
ANTONIO: I just, you know, I can't speak for anyone else. Michael is 50, I'm 45 in December. I grew up with Michael, so for me, like I said, it's between, it's like the passing of say, Mozart, The Beatles, and Elvis died the same day that sort of looks like for me for Michael to be not here right now.
And God bless his family, his friends and his kids. And I hope Liz Taylor is all right because she stood by him through everything. And there will never be another Michael Jackson.
There's two Michael Jacksons, his sons but there will never be another Michael Jackson. Thank God he's here.
SIMON: Thanks very much. Thanks.
Don, that gives you a little bit of the flavor of what's happening here. We should tell you that crowds are obviously expected to be large today. They're trying to limit people coming in here, trying to prevent some chaos. So about three people allowed in here at a time to pay their respects to the king of pop. Back to you, Don.
LEMON: Now, Dan, you can certainly understand the emotion coming from that young lady and also from the other people who are at those vigils. And some people who are at his home and the same thing happening here at the coroner's office. People driving by and yelling their condolences really to us.
Imagine this, T.J. and Carol, your first hit record at ten years old. "I Want You Back." I remember that song as a kid. I was just a wee little kid. But I said today, as I updated my Facebook page to everyone, I said Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five were really the soundtrack to my youth. And I think a lot of people around the country, around the world are feeling that way.
COSTELLO: Oh, you're not kidding. "ABC," I mean I remember singing that on the school bus. HOLMES: Yes.
COSTELLO: I think it was incredible.
HOLMES: Right, right. On and on, right?
HOLMES: A lot of people don't remember he was that young at the time. He literally has been a celebrity in the spotlight his entire life. We're talking about the past four decades he's been dealing with this. A lot of people don't remember that.
COSTELLO: And sadly, that was a big part of his problem. Interestingly enough, his album sales have spiked. On Amazon, people are buying his albums in droves. I think it hit the top five on Amazon.
HOLMES: ITunes, same thing. The top two albums, "Thriller" was number one. Another one of his is number two.
COSTELLO: So, he's having a resurgence in death. It's very sad.
We're still wondering, of course, exactly how he died. And until the results of his autopsy come in, many questions will remain about the cause of his death. And, you know, we know he had many health problems too over the years.
Joining us now is chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. We're hearing that he died of a cardiac arrest. I mean, is that exactly the same thing as a heart attack?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, these are going to be different things. A sudden cardiac arrest can be caused by lots of different things. It could have been caused by a heart attack, but it could have been caused by some sort of just sudden electrical rhythm abnormality in the heart.
So, the heart is sort of pumping. All its various chambers, for some reason, that signal gets out of whack. And that can happen for lots of different reasons and we don't know exactly what it was. I think what people are going to try to figure out over the next day, several days probably, is what exactly caused a sudden cardiac arrest in him. And I don't think they know the answer to that yet.
COSTELLO: We've also heard that he may have had a problem with prescription drugs. We know he was stressed throughout his life. He was often fatigued. How could all of this play into how he died?
GUPTA: Well, you know, when you take these things in isolation, certainly someone who's on prescription drugs or has a lot of stress or fatigue, it's unlikely to cause a cardiac arrest. In combination, maybe a little bit more likely but still, you know, it's hard to sort of draw a direct cause and effect here.
Having said that, Carol, there's no question that there are certain medications, both prescriptions or illicit, that can cause problems with the heart. Medication that speed up the heart rate, increase the blood pressure, for example. If you compound that on, I think I heard he was rehearsing six hours a night in preparation for his upcoming tour. This sort of things in combination can start to make a picture of someone who's more likely to have a cardiac arrest.
But I don't want people to think who are watching this, look, I take prescription medications, I'm under a lot of stress, am I likely to have this happen? Chance is still small. So I think there's going to be some work here for the examiner to sort of piece together.
COSTELLO: Yes. Hopefully, we'll have some new word from the coroner's office in California by this afternoon. Sanjay Gupta, thanks. You'll be back with us soon. We appreciate it.
GUPTA: That's right. Thank you.
HOLMES: And, of course, people all over the country, all over the world sounding off about Michael Jackson's passing. You all are reaching out to us, talking to us about how this has really impacted you. Here are just some of the iReports we have gotten so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANY IBRAHIM, IREPORTER: Regardless to his strange behavior are questionable, the questionable events that happened in his life, let's remember him as a great entertainer he was. Michael Jackson will always be remembered.
EGBERTO WILLIES, IREPORTER: I grew up on Michael Jackson. I loved Michael Jackson. I hated Michael Jackson. I admired Michael Jackson. I was ashamed of Michael Jackson.
I was sorry for Michael Jackson. I was proud of Michael Jackson.
PETER MAIYOH, IREPORTER: He was there before Tiger Woods, before Michael Jordan, even before Barack Obama. He has done what nobody has done.
MELISSA FAZLI, IREPORTER: This is just a very sad day here in Hollywood, California. (INAUDIBLE) area. This is very, very sad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And we want to hear your thoughts as well this morning. You can go to our Web site CNN.com/amfix. Send us your iReports.
COSTELLO: And, you know, not only our fans here expressing grief but fans all around the world. I mean, there's a headline this morning online, "Africa grieves for Michael Jackson." We're going to use our global resources, take you around the world, get the headlines there and get some international reaction to Michael Jackson's death. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING) HOLMES: Oh, I love that song, "Man In the Mirror." We'll be playing a lot of Michael Jackson music. Every song probably you know the words to. It seems.
We have laid out here all the papers you can imagine. Just about every paper in the country in the world is going to have a headline on it. But how much do you really need to say?
This is just some of them, the "New York Post" here. Put quite simply, that tells the story. "Michael Jackson, king of pop, dead." I mean, there's not a whole lot to say in a lot of these headlines.
COSTELLO: Yes. And this one in "Newsday." But what strikes me about this tabloids, they're being so nice to Michael Jackson now because the headlines usually would read if Michael Jackson were still alive, something like, "Whacko Jacko."
And you know I saw an interview done by Barbara Walters many years ago with Michael Jackson. He said that nickname really hurt him, and it drove him to keep his children secluded, you know. And it's part of the reason he covered their faces. He didn't want them being made fun of as he was in life.
HOLMES: It seems a bit of a contradiction. We've been talking about this a lot, but he was in some people's eyes that "Whacko Jacko." It's great that many are remembering him. We had to remember the music and what he did, but that other part is a part of his story as well.
COSTELLO: Yes. I think we separate that out.
HOLMES: Yes.
COSTELLO: Now, we separate the great talent out from kind of the strange man he became. Here's a few of the headlines we were talking about before from overseas.
Britain's "Daily Telegraph," "Michael Jackson, king of pop, dies at age 50." From Spain, Levante (ph) Guardia, "a heart attack ends Michael Jackson's reign." Though we should mention, it still has not officially confirmed that a heart attack caused Jackson's death.
And really no need to hide the stunning news. New Zealand's "Marlborough Express" simply reads as the "New York Post" did, "Michael Jackson, Dead."
HOLMES: All right. And a lot of people have the things they liked the most. Some people liked the music a lot more. Some people like the dance moves. But no matter what, the smile, he was engaging. Just an amazing performer and he had the -- I mean, he had the moves to back it all up. And he had the record sales and success to back it up.
Well, a lot of people are remembering him today. And again, like we've been saying, not just here in the U.S. His appeal was global. This morning, we are tapping into our global resources to bring you reaction from overseas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Atika Shubert at the O2 Arena here in London, where Michael Jackson was due to perform in just about two weeks. He was set to perform 50 concert dates. More than 700,000 tickets had already been sold and they've been sold out in hours, the fastest selling concert in history. Now, fans in London are absolutely devastated.
MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Morgan Neill in Tokyo, Japan, where Michael Jackson could always count on big crowds and ecstatic fans when he would come to play. The reaction today has been a mix of shock and disbelief. Lots of stores have set up displays like this one. For those who still want to remember the music of Michael Jackson, many have already sold out.
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Diana Magnay in Berlin. This is the Adlon Hotel where in a bizarre incident back in 2002, Michael Jackson dangled his little baby son out of the window. The little boy's head covered with a cloth. Michael Jackson holding him just by one arm around his neck. Now, Michael Jackson always said he really regretted the incident and that he was simply overwhelmed by his fans. But it does remain a binding image of Michael Jackson's later years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. And stay with us because coming up, we're going to be talking to a man who used to be an adviser, spiritual adviser to Michael Jackson and he actually several years ago predicted an early demise for the pop star singer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Displays like that when you see at the Hollywood Walk of Fame sprouting up all over the country and even overseas in honor of Michael Jackson's life and his legacy to music. We're going to have much more on Michael Jackson's death and exactly how he died, because that is still quite the mystery this morning.
First, though, we want to update you on some other developing stories this morning. Threats from North Korea expected to dominate today's meeting between American and South Korean defense officials. Washington now looking to the international community to better enforce sanctions against the North. Yesterday, a senior North Korean official warned of "an annihilating blow" in response to any sanctions of provocation by the United States.
A day after her husband, Governor Mark Sanford, confessed to an extramarital affair, South Carolina's first lady is saying she'll be just fine with or without her husband. Speaking to reporters, Jenny Sanford said her husband's career is not a concern and that right now she's only worried about her four children.
And for the fifth straight day, gas prices are down. According to AAA, the national average is now $2.66 a gallon. That's a decrease of a penny overnight in case you're counting.
HOLMES: We will turn back to the news of Michael Jackson's death now. Of course, the world pretty much shocked by a sudden death, 50- year-old man, still a young man in many respects.
Well, a lot of people shocked by it. Our next guest, not shocked. He actually predicted it not long ago. He's Jackson's or Jackson's former spiritual adviser. He was on AMERICAN MORNING a few years back, said Michael's life will be cut short much like Janis Joplin or Elvis. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach joins us now on the phone from Reykjavik, Iceland.
Sir, thank you for being here. We're going to show our viewers now what you exactly said to us a few years back in an interview here on AMERICAN MORNING. And you essentially said that, in fact, "Yes, I will tell you the truth," is what it says, "I have great fear to be honest and why I felt I had to be distanced from Michael is I never believed he would be arrested as a pedophile. My fear was that he would not live long. My fear was that Michael's life would be cut short."
Sir, what prompted you to make that prediction several years ago?
RABBI SHMULEY BOTEACH, FMR. SPIRITUAL ADVISER TO MICHAEL JACKSON (via telephone): First of all, this is a very sad morning, and my heart goes out to Michael's three beautiful children. Prince and Paris were close to my kids, and I can't imagine what it's like for them to be orphaned of their father when they didn't have a mother in their life.
But I'm not a prophet, and this didn't take a rocket scientist. Michael was abusing his body terribly. He was being enabled in doing so by his coterie of sycophants who didn't stop him. This was a man who by the time I met him in the summer of '99 was just burned out. He was suffering from purposelessness.
His career didn't mean much to him. He really wanted to consecrate his fame and celebrity to a higher cause. He just didn't know what that cause was. And I think Michael was suffering a terrible ailment of the soul, but he treated this as if it were an ailment of the body. He suffered from constant phantom illnesses, physical ailments, and he was just taking large quantities of these prescription drugs.
And this is not anything new. We know that he checked in to be detoxed of these prescription drugs. But I think a lot of question need to be answered over the next few days. The people who were around him, why didn't they stop him? The doctors who made these things available, what kind of doctors are they? We really need to know the answers to this because this is a tragedy.
COSTELLO: Rabbi - Rabbi...
BOTEACH: And whatever people feel about Michael, this is just a terrible thing. COSTELLO: Rabbi, this is Carol Costello. I'm sorry to interrupt. I was wondering, though, did you see Michael Jackson take these prescription drugs, and what were they?
BOTEACH: Well, look, Michael's involvement with prescription drugs was extremely well-known. No, he would be very woozy around me. And I used to sit and say to him, I'm pleading with you, this is not who you are. You can't be so dazed. You can't live in a fog.
I even remember once after he told me the night before that he had a terrible backache and he needed his regular painkillers. And I pleaded with him not to. The next day he came to my house at dinner and he stood up at dinner. And I said, why are you standing? He said, "You see, I've been taking your advice. My back hurts me but I'm not going to take the drugs."
So, we -- I mean, we all saw him at the trial of 2004. The trial on child molestation charges, just how dazed he was, just how out of the picture he was. And like I said, so many of these superstars had enablers, they have sycophants.
Michael was a man who wanted love. He once looked me right in the eye, I'll never forget this, it was haunting. And he said to me, "Shmuley, I'll tell you something that I never told anyone before. Everything that I did, training my feet to move so fast, training myself to sing, was all in an effort to be loved. I thought that if I honed my craft, the public would love me."
You see, he conflated. He confused attention for love. Now attention is something that's given to you for what you do. So, he had to keep on doing. But love is given to you for what you are. And Michael, really, he didn't have that.
He was a man surrounded by millions of adoring fans, but he was very lonely. The only thing that gave him real satisfaction was his children. Someone asked me yesterday, could he have done this to himself? Could it have been intentionalized?
HOLMES: Yes.
BOTEACH: Of course not, never. He would have lived forever for his children. But having said that...
HOLMES: Rabbi...
BOTEACH: ... this is yet another tragedy of the American celebrity culture.
HOLMES: Well, Rabbi, you got away from him, you said, because you just found it was too difficult. But who else is around him?
You certainly sound like a man who had good intentions toward him, but you had yourself get away from it because you didn't think he could be helped. Was he beyond being helped no matter who was around him? BOTEACH: Well, look, believe it or not, I know this is going to sound strange, but when he was arrested on the pedophile charges, I was almost hoping he'd be found guilty because then he would finally get the help that he needed. There would be psychiatric evaluations. Now that's why I said what I said on your show all those years ago that my fears that he's going to die. And I'll never forget it.
A spokesman for Michael Jackson accused me of sensationalism, being an alarmist. But so many of these people, it was in their interest to turn the other way so that they could continue on the gravy train. And like I said, a lot of questions need to be asked.
More than anything else, Michael is not -- this is not just a personal tragedy of three orphaned children. This is an American tragedy. Yet another superstar, and fame destroyed him.
I mean, Michael, on the one hand, we look at this incredible story of a poor, black child growing up in Gary, Indiana. His father is a steelworker. He becomes a billionaire, entertain. But look at how the story ends.
And he was crying out for help. I mean, beneath the caricature that all of us had, a "Whacko Jacko" or what a weirdo he is, and Michael's no saint. Let's not whitewash some of the things that he's been accused of. They're serious things indeed, but they were always good to him.
He sang songs about the "Man in the Mirror" and healing the world. And he was serious about that message. He used to really -- he used to have tears streaming down his cheeks when he would watch stories in the news about people being harmed. He was this very soft and gentle soul, but there are always two of him. There was Michael Jackson, the king of pop. And that was a terrible invention that he invented because he need this kind of adulation.
HOLMES: Rabbi...
BOTEACH: But there was also this sincere boy that was always there who wanted help, and he just never got it.
HOLMES: Well, Rabbi, a lot of people would agree with a lot of what you're saying, and you knew him in a way that a lot of people did not.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, again, former spiritual adviser to Michael Jackson. Sir, we appreciate your time this morning.
Right now, it's 28 minutes past the hour. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back, everybody, to this AMERICAN MORNING. It's now half past the hour. We are covering, of course, all angles of the sudden death of Michael Jackson last night. His body was taken by helicopter to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office. We expect some results of an autopsy sometime a little later today. The 50-year-old "King of Pop" went into cardiac arrest at his home in L.A. yesterday. He was rushed by ambulance to the UCLA Medical Center. But paramedics were not able to revive him.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And the world is also losing another cultural icon, Farrah Fawcett. She died yesterday in Santa Monica, California, after a nearly three-year battle with cancer. The actress, best known for her role on "Charlie's Angels," recently shared her personal battle with cancer in a very public documentary. Farrah Fawcett was 62 years old.
HOLMES: Also, some news out of Iran. State TV reports an aide to opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi is now banned from leaving the country because of his role in arranging a legal protest since the deadly unrest began two weeks ago. Eleven of Mousavi's campaign workers have been detained.
COSTELLO: Back to Michael Jackson, you know, he was truly a legend. But the spotlight was not always on his music. It was also on his missteps, and that include legal troubles, financial jams and some outright bizarre behavior.
Jason Carroll joins us for -- unfortunately, what else Michael Jackson will be remembered for?
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When I told a lot of people that I was doing the story, you know, a lot of people, you know, got upset with me off camera, saying, you know, now is not the time to be focusing on his legal problems and things like that. But if you look at the totality of this man's life, you know, he is not just defined, you know, by his artistry. There are other things that defined him as well, and debt and his legal problems definitely one of them.
Jackson was actually millions of dollars in debt. One report is saying he was trying to dig himself out of a $400 million hole. Over the years, many of his legal battles were at the core of his problems.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): His talent, unquestionable. Michael Jackson was the "King of Pop." But it wasn't his abilities on stage causing him problems over the years. It was his life off-stage.
DIANE DIMOND, JOURNALIST, AUTHOR: Oh, the greatest legal obstacle had to have been himself. The lawsuits didn't come out of nowhere. They came out of bad choices that Michael Jackson made.
CARROLL: In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year- old boy. Allegations he denied.
JEFF TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: Michael Jackson was acquitted, but he admitted sleeping in the same bed with children who were not his own. He was repeatedly accused of improper relationships with children. The acquittal didn't end the sense that there was something wrong there. CARROLL: In fact, Jackson paid an estimated $25 million in an out-of-court settlement. But his legal problems did not end there.
In the summer of 2002, Jackson hit the streets of New York, publicizing his album "Invincible," and making allegations against Sony, his longtime record label. He accused Sony's chief, Tommy Mottola, of being a racist, and alleged the record company did not treat black artist artists fairly.
On CNN's "LARRY KING," Mottola was gracious in remembering the legend.
TOMMY MOTTOLA, FORMER SONY MUSIC CHIEF (via telephone): Dealing with any artist is a challenge. Michael, being the perfectionist that he was, was always challenging.
CARROLL: Also, in 2002, Jackson dangled his baby, Prince Michael II, outside of a Berlin hotel window for fans below. Many were outraged. And Jackson apologized, saying he made a terrible mistake.
Then, the following year, Jackson found himself facing child molestation charges once again. It was a different 13-year-old boy. And, once again, Jackson denied all the allegations. After a four- month circus-like trial, Jackson was acquitted of all charges.
But by 2006, his legal problems turned into financial ones. The pop star was about to lose his Neverland Ranch. After reportedly spending so much, he had gone into default on the $24.5 million he owed on the lavish estate. Jackson ended up selling the ranch. But in spite of all his legal problems, he remained a revered figure to those in the record industry and his fans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very touched and very hurt by what happened. And he's going to be missed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just had fun with his music. I mean, you know, he's like put a smile on our face. This is sad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Well, even in death, there may still be legal problems associated with Jackson. He has three children. And there is a question of who will get custody of them, the mother of his two oldest gave up her parental rights, and despite all of those legal problems in some of his debt, you know, he does still have a lot of assets. So, there are now some questions as to who will inherit what.
COSTELLO: It's interesting to find out who, but, you know, you mentioned his problems. But I think, people found it in their hearts to forgive him somewhat of how he was raised.
CARROLL: Yes.
COSTELLO: I interviewed Joe Jackson, his father, when the Jackson Five was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And he was not a warm person. He was a very hard man. And you heard Michael Jackson, through the years, talked about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father.
CARROLL: Right. And, you know, I think it was, what was it, 1988 when he did that autobiography where he said he was physically abused, you know, as a child. And I think that's the reason why so many people sort of winced at some of the allegations but still found it in their hearts to feel for this man.
COSTELLO: Yes, because he didn't have a childhood. So, I guess, a lot of people accepted the fact that he looked like a perpetual child.
HOLMES: And they just loved the music. I mean, quite frankly...
CARROLL: Right.
HOLMES: ... they loved the music and were willing to forgive on so many fronts. And to this day, he's still beloved no matter...
CARROLL: All over the world.
HOLMES: All over the world. People don't want to hear about that stuff but it's a part of his story just as well.
Jason, we appreciate you, buddy.
CARROLL: All right.
HOLMES: All right. And we will be talking more about Michael Jackson this morning and what he did for the industry. Also, hearing from a lot of you today, a lot of our iReporters -- keep those comments coming in to us. We're going to share some with our viewers.
It's 36 minutes past the hour.
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STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the desert of the United Arab Emirates, a new city is blooming. They call it Masdar or the source in Arabic. Of the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, Masdar City is a construction site right now. But here, they think big.
KHALED AWAD, DIRECTOR, MASDAR CITY: We're talking about 90,000 people, 50,000 living, 40,000 community.
GRANT: Clean and green, that's the catch cry. The first zero carbon, zero waste city; 90 percent of the developments power from the sun.
(on camera): Here is the engine room, a solar panel farm in the desert. Ultimately, there will be nearly 90,000 panels here, enough to power phase one of the city and the construction of the rest. (voice-over): Solar remains much more expensive than gas which currently powers Abu Dhabi. But Masdar's director says, he has the answer.
It costs more, use less.
AWAD: Exactly. Automatically use less because of the design and the planning of the city.
GRANT: Cars will be banned at Masdar. Everyone will be transported by especially designed, clean, space age-style people- movers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The plan is somewhere around 2,000 to 3,000 of these vehicles.
GRANT: Abu Dhabi, a powerhouse of oil production, 10 percent of world's supply, wants to lead the world in finding alternative sources of power. The Abu Dhabi government has pumped US$15 billion into the venture.
In September this year, it turns from dream to reality. The first residents move in. The source will become the future.
Stan Grant, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
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KAREN, IREPORTER: My first exposure to Michael Jackson was the "Thriller" album. Just way he looks on that album, laying back in his nice white suit, I was like, there I was, just a pre-teen at the time. And I fell in love with Michael Jackson.
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HOLMES: My parents still have that LP at the house right now.
COSTELLO: Really?
HOLMES: Yes, they do. That was my first exposure as well.
COSTELLO: An LP.
HOLMES: Yes.
COSTELLO: They can't play it on anything more but they still have it.
HOLMES: They can't play it. I have been trying to get it from them, because I do play records at my house. But they won't give it up. But that was my first exposure. I use to be scared to watch the "Thriller" video, because I was just a little kid. It was a little scary for me.
COSTELLO: That's right. When it turns into the werewolf.
HOLMES: Yes, that still kind of messes with me a little bit. But, we're talking about Michael Jackson, of course, this morning. A lot of people remembering the music. And, of course, you got stars, you have superstars, you have legends, you even have icons. He was something all together different. He was a phenomenon all his own.
Alina Cho looking into this amazing musical.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, it's really an elite club, you know? You think Elvis Presley, the Beatles and maybe Bing Crosby for a certain generation, and definitely Michael Jackson, you know?
Good morning, everybody. So many superlatives to describe Michael Jackson's entertainment career. He was the "King of Pop," of course, an icon. And during his 40-year career, Michael Jackson sold more than 750 million records, had 13 number one hits and was twice inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.
He was adored by fans everywhere and inspired a new generation of singers. Some of whom weren't even alive when Jackson was first starting out.
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CHO (voice-over): Michael Jackson burst on to the scene as the 10-year-old front man of the Jackson Five. He spent more than four decades making music. Success with his brothers was followed by a string of hit solo albums.
CHO: "Off the Wall," his first solo release, sold 7 million copies. It made him a bona fide pop star. But it was his follow-up efforts, "Thriller," that made him the undisputed "King of Pop."
BILL WERDE, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, "BILLBOARD" MAGAZINE: He is the biggest pop star of all time. If you look at the artists who have sold more records than Michael Jackson around the globe, it's Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Bing Crosby. And that's it.
CHO: "Thriller" sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, had seven top 10 singles and won eight Grammy Awards.
DAVID CAPLAN, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: It wasn't just about the music, which was amazing and had the distinct sound, even for that era. But it became his cultural phenomenon. He was like this multimedia, multi-cultural pop culture phenomenon.
CHO: His loyal fans worldwide helped Jackson concert tour records and become the first artist to earn more than $100 million in one year.
WERDE: Michael Jackson was people's lives. I mean, they live Michael Jackson, they die Michael Jackson. They had, you know, they had all the paraphernalia. They have the jackets. They have the look.
CHO: He continued to have hit albums during the '80s and '90s, co-writing "We Are the World" for African famine relief. And the album "Bad" set a record for a solo artist with five number one songs from a single album.
But, his legacy goes far beyond his own success. His influence can be seen in many of today's pop stars -- some of whom were still in diapers when he captivated the world with "Thriller."
CAPLAN: Fans who weren't even born when "Thriller" came out, they're in to Usher, they're in to Justin Timberlake and they get it. They see the connection and appreciate why Michael Jackson is so relevant and important.
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CHO: It's incredible to hear those songs again. You know, Jackson was about to stage a big comeback, a concert tour, that was set to kick off in London. Amazingly, in just two weeks, $85 million worth of tickets were sold -- really, just more evidence of his staying power.
And "Thriller," guess what, guys? That album still sells 130,000 copies every year in the United States, even to this day.
COSTELLO: Really?
CHO: It's really incredible. You know, and for all of his problems, you know, the Michael Jackson I remember is the one whose poster was on my bedroom wall, right? And who could forget him moon -- yes, well, you may not have had one but I did, I did growing up, you know?
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CHO: It was a like big one too, that covered the whole wall. And, really, you know, who could forget him moon walking at the Grammys. I mean, you know, which makes this all the more tragic. You think about the height of his career, his talent, how he inspired so other musicians, I mean, generations of musicians, like Justin Timberlake even; and to think about dying at age 50, just so tragic.
HOLMES: They all have to step their game up. You can't just sing, you have to be a performer. The full package there.
CHO: That's right. You know, Sean Kingston said yesterday, in one of the many tributes we heard. He said, you know, if you didn't want, if you were singer and you didn't want to be Michael Jackson, something was wrong.
HOLMES: Something was wrong with you.
CHO: You know?
(LAUGHTER) HOLMES: All right. Alina, we appreciate you. We'll see you again.
CHO: You bet.
COSTELLO: It's 46 minutes past the hour. We'll be back with more.
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COSTELLO: I'd just want to do all those disco dances I used to know.
It's 49 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Michael Jackson exploded on to the scene with the Jackson Five four decades ago. He went on to build a music legacy that thrilled millions of fans worldwide. But there was another side of Michael Jackson -- legal controversies and uncomfortable questions about his relationships with children.
Joining us now from London, Uri Geller. He knew Michael Jackson well and was a long-time friend.
Welcome.
URI GELLER, FRIEND OF MICHAEL JACKSON: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: You know, we keep hearing about how sad Michael Jackson was and, you know, it seemed as if he was never happy. Is that true?
GELLER: No, that's not true. He was happy many, many times. But he was a lonely man. I asked him that question here in this very same living room that I'm talking to him from. I asked him, "Michael, are you a lonely man?" And he stared at me for 10 seconds and said, "Uri Geller, I'm a very lonely man."
And that painted the whole picture from childhood, a child that stood by the window looking at other kids playing baseball and basketball, not being able to join them, being dragged into the room to rehearse, rehearse and dance and sing and rehearse and rehearse.
And then came the big phenomenal fame and fortune, becoming the number one artist in the world. He could afford anything and everything. You know, this is a big burden for any superstar.
And then, of course, came the accusations -- the accusations against an innocent man.
COSTELLO: Well, before we get into that, Uri, I wanted...
GELLER: I mean, this could ... COSTELLO: Uri, before we get into that, I'd like to ask you more about Michael Jackson's state of mind. Because it seems as if he immersed himself in loneliness and tragedy. I mean, he had a statue of Marilyn Monroe. He was obsessed by the story of Charlie Chaplain, who was exiled from Hollywood. He married Elvis's daughter.
He seemed to be obsessed with tragic figures who died young.
GELLER: Well, listen, look, I'm not a psychologist. But, if you trace down Michael Jackson to his childhood, one can understand why this happened. He was totally in control, though. But he had this kind of a little weird or strange or unique or bizarre facet in his life.
He was also a very clever publicist. He knew what the world wanted. He knew, in a way, how to mini-reinvent himself. And he did it very cleverly but very naturally. But that was Michael Jackson. This is what created the phenomenon of Michael Jackson, exactly what you just mentioned.
But the serious stuff started coming when the accusations started popping up against him. That was devastating.
COSTELLO: And you said he was innocent of this. But, you know, there are many who doubt that.
GELLER: Well, look, I can only tell you one experience that I had with Michael Jackson that led me to believe that the man is totally innocent. We were together at the Hit factory in New York. He asked me to draw something into the "Invincible" album which he was producing. And, indeed, I drew something for him. And we were speaking about the music and the meanings of my drawings and so on.
Suddenly, he tells me, "Hey, Uri, you know, there is a food that I love eating but I don't want to eat it. Can you take it out off me with mind power?" And I said, "Not really, but I can hypnotize you." And he said, "Wow, yes, let's do that."
And, you know, Carol, I hypnotized Michael Jackson very deeply. I put him into a very deep trance and I asked him. I did something unethical. I admit this. I asked him, "Michael Jackson, did you ever touch a child in an inappropriate manner?" And he immediately said, "No. I would never do that." These were his words. I remember them.
Then, I asked him, "Why did you pay off Jordy Chandler?" And he said, "I couldn't take it anymore. I had enough." So, you see, Carol, to me...
COSTELLO: Right. That was the boy who accused him of inappropriate touching.
I wish we could carry on but we can't. Thank you so much for joining us on AMERICAN MORNING -- Uri Geller, live from London.
GELLER: Thank you very much.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
Fifty-three minutes past the hour.
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HOLMES: And hello again. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We are getting close to the top of the hour here.
Of course, there's been an extraordinary outpouring of grief over Michael Jackson's death. It's coming in from folks who never met him. They just know his music and know his music well. But also coming from the celebrity world, heartfelt words of admiration for the pop legend, star after star chiming in right now.
Our Don Lemon is there in Los Angeles, where many of those stars are.
Don, you know, he had friends like you and I don't have friends, you know? His lists include some of the biggest names in the world.
LEMON: Absolutely. You know what, T.J., you guys have been playing the music all morning. And you cannot put on a Michael Jackson song and not dance or be moved by it or at least be happy -- especially if it's an upbeat song. People will always say, if you are at a party or if you want to get people in a good mood, you play a Michael Jackson song.
But we're getting some heartfelt words, as you said, from people who knew Michael Jackson -- many of these celebrities. I mean, look at this, page after page of people, of just people, you know, weighing in, from Whitney Houston to Gwyneth Paltrow, to the Reverend Al Sharpton, Celine Dion.
But one man knew him maybe better than most. And that was the man who helped him get his start at Motown. I want you to take a listen on what Berry Gordy had to say about his friend Michael Jackson.
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BERRY GORDY, FOUNDER OF MOTOWN: He was like my son. He had warmth, sensitivity, and two personalities. You know, when he was not on stage, he was loving, respectful and shy. When he was on stage, he was so in charge. You would not believe that this was the same person.
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LEMON: And his music, certainly, influenced everyone, Usher, all of the boy bands, even some of the girl bands.
Here is what a couple of other people had to say. Here's what Justin Timberlake said. He said, "We have lost a genius."
"He was magic. He was what we all strive to be." That's what Beyonce says.
"I can't stop crying." Madonna said it very simply.
"I am heartbroken. My heart goes out to his children." Mariah Carey said that.
And "he was a rare talent that we witnessed once in a lifetime." That one, T.J. coming from Sheryl Crow.
So, lots of heartfelt messages coming in from the celebrities and also, from his fans, just regular folk on the street.
HOLMES: All right, Don. And you know what? Justin Timberlake may have summed it up best. Just simply genius is what he was.
LEMON: Right.
HOLMES: Just simply genius.
Don, we're going to be checking in with you plenty throughout the morning. Thank you. We'll see you again soon.
LEMON: Thanks, T.J.
HOLMES: We are back in 60 seconds.
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