Return to Transcripts main page
Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Remembering Michael Jackson; Farrah Fawcett Mourned
Aired June 25, 2009 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: We're just at the top of the hour right now. If you are just joining us, we are remembering Michael Jackson and at the same time, searching for answers. Why did this happen? Why did his heart stop? Why did he die today? He was only 50 years old.
And we have late-breaking details on the sudden tragedy. We'll get to them in just a moment.
But first his brother Jermaine, grieving, speaking about -- speaking out after such a heartbreaking loss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S BROTHER: My brother, the legendary "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, passed away on Thursday, June 25th, 2009, at 2:26 p.m. It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home.
However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known. His personal physician who was with him at the time attempted to resuscitate my brother and as did the paramedics who transported him to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Upon arriving at the hospital at approximately 1:14 p.m. a team of doctors including emergency physicians and cardiologists attempted to resuscitate him for a period of more than one hour and they were unsuccessful.
Our family requests that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time. And may our love be with you, Michael always, love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That was Jermaine Jackson sharing his very private pain with the world.
This was the grim scene earlier this evening as Michael Jackson's body was transported by helicopter from the hospital where he was declared dead to the medical examiner's office. His body shrouded in a white cloth then placed into a vehicle and driven a short distance to the coroner's office. The autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.
Now all we know for certain right now, today at home on the west side of Los Angeles, something happened. Medics were called. Efforts were made but despite those efforts Jackson died. Jermaine Jackson saying a doctor was present at the time.
In the days and weeks to come, no doubt we're going to eventually know what caused his death.
Tonight, we look back on his extraordinary and sometimes controversial life but extraordinary in so many ways. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXCERPTS FROM JACKSON 5 MTV, I'LL BE THERE.)
COOPER: This is how Michael Jackson first burst onto the music scene. An adorable child, a precocious pop prodigy set to become a big star.
He was born Michael Joe Jackson in 1958 in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. His father, Joe, was a retired steelworker, who turned his sons into the original boy band, the "Jackson 5" with 5-year-old Michael taking the lead.
PETER CASTRO, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: He was the symbol for the consummate entertainer. Not since Sammy Davis Jr., had someone come along with such a diverse range of talents.
COOPER: He was just 11 when the group's first single "I Want You Back" made it to number one on the billboard charts. Two more hits would quickly follow: "ABC" and "The Love You Save."
It was clear from the start that Michael would outshine his singing siblings; the young boy being groomed for life as a superstar.
RANDY TARABORRELLI, BIOGRAPHER: From the time that most kids were building tree houses, Michael Jackson was building an image. And Michael was happy to play along with that because he understood at a very early age that image-making in public relations was very important.
COOPER: But even then, there were rumors. That behind the happy family facade stood a secret; stories of violence, of a father driven, riding his children hard, pushing them to succeed.
TARABORRELLI: When Michael discusses these beatings today, he gets very emotional. It's clear that he hasn't come to terms with any of that yet.
COOPER: Michael still made music with his brothers throughout the 1970s but managed to move ahead on his own at the same time. He released his first solo album, "Got to Be There," in 1972. The first solo number one hit was a romantic ballad about a rat named "Ben."
(EXCERPT FROM MICHAEL JACKSON'S "BEN")
COOPER: Five years later, the album "Off The Wall" put Jackson's solo career over the top. It sold seven million copies and produced four top ten singles. But that would be nothing compared with what was to come.
In 1982 and the release of "Thriller."
(EXCERPTS FROM MICHAEL JACKSON'S "THRILLER")
COOPER: It was this album which sold 26 million copies. It sat at number one on the charts for 37 weeks that transformed the child singing sensation into a superstar.
TOURE, ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Michael was not a phenomenon with "Thriller." He was beyond phenomenon. I mean, the record flew out of stores. It could not be stopped.
COOPER: And with his skyrocketing stardom came the trademark touches, now so much of a part of his persona.
JOHN NORRIS, FORMER MTV REPORTER: From the iconic look to the moonwalk to the glove.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The red jacket and with the zippers and glasses and the white socks.
COOPER: But there were also the first signs that something wasn't right.
(EXCERPTS FROM MICHAEL JACKSON'S "BEAT IT")
COOPER: In 1984, Jackson carried home a cart load of Grammys, seven in all. He arrived at the ceremony with two dates, Brooke Shields and Emmanuel Lewis. It was also the start of his obsession with cosmetic surgery, an obsession that would change his face forever.
TOURE: Every few months you would see him and you would go, whoa. That's -- you're looking weird, dude. But I think it was about '85, '86. I was like, "Wow. He's not going to be able to get any weirder than this." And then two years later, I was like, I was wrong.
COOPER: A 1986 photo showed Michael asleep in an anti-aging chamber. In 1987, he reportedly tried to buy the bones of "Elephant Man" John Merrick. And then of course there was Bubbles, the Chimp and an odd array of disguises.
(EXCERPTS FROM MICHAEL JACKSON'S "BAD")
COOPER: If life seemed strange, at least the music still matters. Jackson's album "Bad" hit the shelves in 1987 and sold eight million copies. And in 1988 he bought a 2,700-acre ranch for $28 million and he called it "Neverland."
JOHN NORRIS, FORMER MTV REPORTER: There's a reason it's called "Neverland Valley," you know? His fixation on the "I won't grow up, I'm a lost boy, I'm Peter Pan."
COOPER: With the ranch came the rumors. TARABORRELLI: Michael began to sort of surround himself with young boys. And much to, I remember, the chagrin of people who were working for him.
(EXCERPTS FROM MICHAEL JACKSON'S "BLACK OR WHITE")
COOPER: 1991 brought another album, "Dangerous," another number one single, "Black or White" and more speculation about Michael's mental state.
His skin seemed to be getting lighter. Jackson said it was caused by a congenital skin condition.
CASTRO: That a lot of people think that he has bleached his skin. With Michael Jackson, you never know what the truth is.
COOPER: He became more reclusive and in 1993 faced his first allegation of child molestation. Jackson denied the charges but settled the case for $20 million.
Less than a year later he married rock and roll royalty, Lisa Marie Presley.
TOURE: It was quite obvious to all of us from the beginning that it was a sham. That it was a publicity stunt. And it was just kind of disgusting and silly.
COOPER: And it lasted just two years, but Jackson would marry again later the same year. This time the bride was Debbie Rowe, nurse to his dermatologist. She gave him children of his own, Prince Michael, born in 1997, and Paris Michael Katherine, born in 1998. They divorced in 1999, and Jackson got full custody of their kids.
But a third child from a surrogate mother who put Jackson back in the headlines when he dangled the newborn from the balcony of a Berlin hotel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's sort of like the anti-King Midas, it's like everything he wants to do just gets screwed up.
COOPER: And the tabloid tales were starting to take a toll on the music. Michael's 2001 album "Invincible" sold a mere 2.1 million copies. His troubles quite clearly were far from over.
In 2002, he fought publicly with Sony Chairman Tommy Mottola calling him a racist. A 2003 "Vanity Fair" article said he was financially strapped and stated that he bought the silence of other potential molestation victims.
In January 2004, Michael Jackson stood before a judge and pleaded not guilty to child molestation charges. And even his friends can only guess at what brought the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" to this moment.
URI GELLER, MICHAEL JACKSON'S FRIEND: No one knows Michael Jackson really but Michael Jackson himself. I once asked Michael here in this house, I looked into his eyes and I said to him "Michael, aren't you lonely?" And he looked up at me; it was like a ten-second stare. And then he said "Uri Geller, I am a very lonely man," and I think that said it all.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: A lonely man.
Tonight, we're learning more about the final moments on Michael Jackson's life. And what may have happened inside of his home shortly before he collapsed. The information is coming from his brother Marlon.
CNN's Roland Martin spoke to Marlon Jackson. Here's what Roland had to say about their conversation. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I talked to Marlon Jackson about 30 minutes ago and he is absolutely devastated. He said that he was watching television -- I am sorry, he was at his home in Georgia. His daughter was downstairs and she said, "Dad, they're saying that Uncle Mike is dead."
And he says, wait a minute that cannot be. He said let me just find out what's going on because he said they are accustomed to all kind of rumors. He then called Frank Dileo, he is Michael Jackson's manager. He talked to him and he says, "Marlon, it's true, we've lost him."
He said apparently Michael Jackson was ill last night. He called Frank, said he's not feeling well. They called a doctor over. The doctor came to the house. Checked him out, he obviously was not sent to the hospital.
Marlon then said, a friend said, quote, "Marlon from last night to this morning, I don't know what happened. When they got to him this morning, he wasn't breathing. They brought him to the hospital and could not bring him around." That's what happened. They don't know what happened.
Marlon also said the last time he saw Michael Jackson was in May 14th at a family gathering. He had just gotten back from Africa. And apparently the family was together. We heard previous reports that he was -- Michael Jackson was in a wheelchair. He was frail.
Marlon said, quote, "He wasn't in a wheelchair. He was walking around with his kids and we saw him, he wasn't in a wheelchair. We all talked. He was doing great and he said that the family is just simply stunned." Just stunned at the death. He's talked to his brother Jackie. He's talked to Tito. He said they feel the same way, quote, "a piece of our heart, a piece of us is with him." It was a shock to them too.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Well, we're going to take you live now at the UCLA Medical Center. Michael Jackson rushed there today. It's where he was pronounced dead. Outside there is a vigil for Jackson. People continue to gather there.
Ted Rowlands is outside the hospital and joins us now.
Ted, describe the scene there.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, it's a mix of emotions here. You've got some people have been dancing and some -- one side of the court yard here. And then there's sort of a bit of the somber atmosphere. People are just sort of here.
A lot of folks have T-shirts that have obviously just been made. Dedicated to Michael Jackson and other folks have signs. One of the guys that did come down here with this sign is Melvin.
Melvin, obviously, you are a longtime fan. Given this sign that you've made. Why are you here? What's your connection to Michael Jackson?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just a fan of Michael Jackson since 1969 on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
ROWLANDS: Tell us how you got to here. You work in the area?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I work over here at UCLA and I saw the helicopters in the area so I had to come down and see what's going on. And I heard two Michael Jackson songs on the radio and then I heard three and I knew something was wrong.
ROWLANDS: And you said that you had this photograph in your office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both of these are in my office sitting right beside my computer here. I look at it every day. I'm a Michael Jackson fan. I always got Michael Jackson on my computer plan to work with.
ROWLANDS: Why come here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got to pay homage to Mike. We grew up together. We're the same age. I went to his first concert December 2nd, 1972. I loved it. I was hooked then. And I went to a solo concert but nothing like the "Jackson 5" and these are the original "Jackson 5" in 1972.
ROWLANDS: All right, Melvin, obviously, a big fan here. And there are a lot of young people here too, Anderson from UCLA. But a lot of longtime fans as well. Some guys here selling T-shirts; he says he's sold over 300 of them at $20 a pop.
So a strange mix, if you will, that have come down here to the UCLA Medical Center because they heard the news of Michael Jackson passing. COOPER: At a time like this, so many people just kind of want to be with other people who care for Michael Jackson as much as they did or cared for the person as much as they do.
We're getting a lot of that on the live chat right now at AC360.com. You can go there right now and we're going to be live throughout this next hour. A lot of people there, hundreds of comments coming in, nearly 600 so far. Just people sharing their experiences, talking about where they were when they heard this terrible news.
That was Michael Jackson back in March. If we recall, back in March, he seemed happy, excited about his new concert series.
John Norris is standing by for us in Times Square. John Norris, former MTV correspondent.
John, your thoughts? I know that you had met Michael Jackson, you'd interviewed him. I think you'd been to the Neverland ranch.
When you see all those old videos of him, when you see his early work and his later work, what goes through your mind?
NORRIS: Well, just you know, it's -- it's -- it's easy to say it's a sad story what happened, Anderson. But I think all of us who watched the -- if you want to use the word "decline" of Michael, at least the commercial decline of Michael over the years from that heyday.
Not only from the really early, just adorable awe-inspiring days of the "Jackson 5" but then of course, through the mega stardom of the '80s and then who saw what happened in the '90s and who saw things slide a bit -- let's be honest -- commercially, into this century.
I think all of us still held out hope that there was going to be -- not only a turnaround but a return to relevance for Michael. I think -- I think a lot of us were maybe frustrated over the years that he seemed to be creatively stymied because there was all this other stuff going on, particularly through the '90s, that we all know about. And he was getting far more attention for that sort of thing than he was for the music, which after all, is why he is so brilliant.
Speaking of Ted and the scene that's happening in L.A., I should just mention that in front of the MTV studios, only a couple of blocks away, you'd never know than TRL was no longer because there is a crowd the size of TRL crowds holding Michael pictures. Holding signs, "Rest In Peace, Michael."
Michael T-shirts, obviously homemade T-shirts; I haven't seen any T-shirts for sale yet but I'm sure that's on the way. We, after all, are in Times Square.
COOPER: Do you think he could have really made a comeback? Sort of become current again with this series of concerts that he had planned in London? NORRIS: You know it's tough to say. That -- I think that the series of sellouts was a testament as much to who he's been for the last 30, 40 years as to what he was doing currently. We know that he was working on an album but we also know that his recent albums, he's labored on for a long time.
And maybe it didn't turn out to be what everyone was hoping they would be artistically. But there were high hopes for if and when there would be a new record. And I think it's hard to say. I think, the music business has changed. Tastes have changed quite a lot since the glory days of Michael.
But he had an indelible connection to young people today. I mean across the board, the hip-hop community had the utmost respect for him. I was just at MTV earlier. And they had hip-hop stars calling in left and right. Just -- devastated as everyone else.
COOPER: John Norris from Times Square. John, I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
A sudden, sudden loss today; everyone is talking about the death of Michael Jackson. We want to hear from you. As I said, join the live chat right now at AC360.com.
Coming up next on 360 we're going to listen to Jackson's music and watch his videos and showcase the moments that made him one of the most famous people on the planets.
We'll also talk to a former attorney of his, some fascinating perspective. What it is like to be inside the Jackson camp seeing Michael Jackson "Up Close."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXCERPT FROM MICHAEL JACKSON'S "THRILLER")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: "Really one of a kind," word from Dick Clark tonight. The tributes for Michael Jackson continue to come in, we've received so many. We're going to bring you as many of them as possible tonight.
A look at Jackson before the mask when he truly was the "King of Pop" whose music and groundbreaking videos has made him larger than life.
Erica Hill has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(EXCERPT FROM MICHAEL JACKSON'S "BLACK OR WHITE")
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael Jackson forever changed the way music was made and experienced.
EMIL WILBEKIN, MANAGING EDITOR, ESSENCE.COM: Michael Jackson's biggest cultural impact is his music. Michael Jackson redefined what music videos were by the way it was directed, the way the characters, the extras, the dancing, the wolves, everything.
Michael Jackson was able to take very simple things and make them explosive and larger than life.
HILL: Much like the artist himself. 25 years ago, "Time" magazine was already profiling Jackson's impact, calling him a one-man rescue team for the music business; a singer who cuts across all boundaries of tastes and style and color, too.
REV. AL SHARPTON, NEW YORK: Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama.
HILL: Jackson's impact was truly global. Loved and idolized, not only for his music, but also his style. In the '80s, his white glove became a fashion icon of the highest order.
WILBEKIN: It was almost like a cult figure with the glove. And you know he's the type of artist, when he was in concert, legions of people would come dressed like Michael Jackson.
HILL: Signs of support that continue to endure even in the worst of time. And despite his intense privacy, Jackson had an incredible connection with his fans.
From those who grew up with him, to their children who discovered Jackson a generation later, to the artist who now rules the music industry. Wyclef Jean today called Jackson his "Musical God. Madonna called him "One of the Greats."
SEAN KINGSTON, RAPPER: If you are a singer and you don't want to be like Michael Jackson, something is wrong.
HILL: But being like Michael Jackson also means giving back. The 1985 hit "We Are the World" which Jackson co-wrote with Lionel Richie brought together the industry's biggest stars united in a fight against hunger.
(EXCERPT FROM "WE ARE THE WORLD")
HILL: Sales of the single raised millions and put the issue front and center for his fans. More than 15 years later, Jackson once again called on his friends to come together for "United We Stand," the benefit concert in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
WILBEKIN: The thing about Michael is that he cared about people. He cared about sick children. He cared about giving back around the world. For him to call in all of those favors to bring all of those people together and to get them to sign on, to help, I think that shows what a great human being he was.
HILL: A man who is now being remembered and celebrated for all he brought to the world.
Erica Hill, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Wow, I want to bring in Ben Brafman now, a criminal defense attorney, who was part of Michael Jackson's defense team for a brief time while he was fighting child molestation charges. Jackson was, of course, acquitted in that trial. Also with us, CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
Ben, you said, you obviously were saddened but not surprised by the news, why?
BEN BRAFMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I'm surprised that it happened today but when I met Michael Jackson I had this sense of -- just foreboding that he was not going to live to be an old man.
He was so frail. And he was so sickly and just so thin that I was frightened for him from the moment I met him.
COOPER: You talk about a childlike quality. I mean, a lot of people have talked about that. And I understand Johnnie Cochran actually kind of warned you in advanced. Johnnie Cochran got you involved with Michael Jackson. And warned you in advance of what you were dealing with.
BRAFMAN: Johnnie Cochran's first words to me were "I want you to go out there and work with Mark Geragos and help save this kid," but he's a 45 year-old, 12-year-old so you've got to be gentle. And that's exactly what he was -- he was a man-child.
COOPER: And yet, I mean, in some ways, he made smart business decisions. He got the Beatles' catalog and yet he just seemed to be surrounded by this sort of coterie of people who -- I mean some of them may have had his best interest at heart, but it also it seems like a lot of them didn't.
BRAFMAN: I am not certain how many people around him had his best interest at heart. I think some of smart business decisions Michael Jackson made -- he made a long time ago. I think later in his career as the surgery continued, as his health declined, I don't think there are a lot of smart business decisions.
One of the smart business decisions at the time appeared to be to buying Neverland, which was so breathtakingly beautiful. You thought it had really amazing potential. But it costs so much to maintain.
COOPER: It sort of opened your eyes to a side of Michael Jackson going out to Neverland.
BRAFMAN: We took a tour of Neverland, a private tour. And it was so breathtakingly beautifully that I realized that I was dealing with was a very, very rich adult who had all of the money in the world to create the best place a kid could ever hope to have. This place had everything you would wants if you were 12, or 15 years old and if you had to stay there the rest of your life and never had to leave. But it was just so well maintained and so magnificent that you really saw the genius of Michael Jackson even in way it was designed.
COOPER: About the people around him, you said that he was shielded but not protected by them. What is the difference?
BRAFMAN: I think when you protect someone you really have their best interest at heart. I think when you shield someone you shield them from the outside world but not all -- not often or always so that their best interests are put forward. I think sometimes when you shield someone you don't necessarily advance their best interests.
COOPER: So when he was facing these charges early on, I read of one incident where he was crying on your shoulder.
BRAFMAN: It was one of those moments I will probably remember for the rest of my life. I got asked to come to the house he was renting at the time, which was just a crazy house. It was just so big. It was like -- it was like stupid. I mean that was the way that you would characterize this house.
COOPER: Right.
BRAFMAN: And I wasn't expecting to be there that day. I came there alone. He wanted to see me alone. It was early on in the case. He had met earlier with a number of lawyers and he said I want to talk to Ben alone.
And I went upstairs. I sat in the parlor. Waited almost two hours for them to come in and when he walked in I was stunned, because he was in a black suit, with white shirt, black tie, with his black hat, with his white socks.
And I thought he was going somewhere. I said, Michael, why all dressed up? And he said, "Because I wanted to talk to you." And I said ok. And we sat down and we talked. He asked me a couple of very -- sort of personalized questions about the legal proceeding. And it was clear to me that there was a tremendous sense of naivete in his own mind about how things worked.
And then at one point when he began to realize how long it could take and how difficult the process would be and I assured him at end it would be ok but he had to live through this ordeal. He just broke down, began to sob. And he threw himself into my arms as if he were a 10-year-old who had a bad day coming home from school.
And that was when I realized how frail he was, because I put my arm on his back, sort of soothed him. And he had his head on my shoulder. And he was sobbing hysterically. And this went on for a couple of minutes and I remember touching his back and feeling only bones.
I mean it was very eerie and then he straightened said up and he said, "I'm sorry. I just got overwhelmed." And I recognize from that moment that I was dealing with someone that was not only young, but really lonely. Michael Jackson was probably one of the loneliest people I've ever met.
COOPER: Even though he was beloved, even though he had kids and I mean, people who were around him constantly.
BRAFMAN: I think there were a lot of people around him constantly. I think he loved his children. I saw him interact with two of his children. He was a very doting, adoring interesting father. He joked with them, they loved him dearly.
And that was a very sweet side of Michael Jackson but the adults around Michael Jackson didn't interact with Michael Jackson. I never saw him in conversation with the adults around him. I saw them doing things for him. I saw them taking him places but I never saw him talk to them
The only people he talked to were his children. There was a woman who helped take care of the children who he spoke with. He spoke with his lawyers during that period.
I was only around him for three or four months. But those three or four months, it made an incredible impression. He was young, he was sweet, he was gentle, he was naive and he was very sad.
COOPER: Did he have a sense of his wealth, of his power, or did it all -- I mean I have met some people who have a tremendous amount of money but they really don't have a sense of -- they don't have a grip on it. They are just kind of -- they've gotten money because they're talented in one realm, it doesn't necessarily mean they're talented with money.
BRAFMAN: He had layers of management people that he had to deal with in terms of expenses, in terms of these -- in terms of money. He had very sophisticated people who dealt with that.
What I don't think Michael Jackson ever had a handle on is either how much money he had or how much he had spent and how little was left because -- I'm sorry -- because the cost of maintaining...
COOPER: Right.
BRAFMAN: ...the lifestyle he ran was hundreds of millions of dollars and he wasn't earning them.
COOPER: When you see these documentaries, Jeff, where he's in Las Vegas and he's buying huge amounts of things and he's staying on whole floors of hotels and you just kind of -- I mean, as a viewer I kind of wondered if there was anyone in his life who will just say to him, "You know Michael, you just don't do this." You just got to like, pull yourself, you know, you can't spend this amount of money.
Did he have people who could say no to him?
BRAFMAN: Well, he had people who managed his money, who I think at some point told him that things weren't as good as he might want them to be.
But I don't know that that ever really sunk in. He had the "Beatle" album which was mortgaged to the hilt. The catalog was worth half a billion dollars. But when you spend money at that clip, half a billion dollars is not a lot of money.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: And one of the things that you came out in the trial was what his day-to-day life was like. And there was not any sort of normal human interaction.
There was not a group of people that he spoke to on a regular basis. He would go days when he would speak only to other -- to children. He didn't have...
COOPER: Days where he would only speak to kids?
TOOBIN: He would only speak to kids. He had kids who stayed with him for long periods of time. And they would spend the entire day together. Not necessarily doing anything improper but just spending all day with the child.
It's psychologically a pretty direct tie for someone who had no childhood to create in Neverland the childhood he didn't have. Unfortunately he was by that point a 45-year-old man so that it just wasn't the appropriate thing on do.
COOPER: There was another statement made by this guy, Oxman, who is a family spokesman of some sort who said he believes prescription medications were involved or certainly were a problem for Michael Jackson over -- in recent times. Was that something you saw? Was something that you felt?
BEN BRAFMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, there are some things they probably can't talk about.
COOPER: Sure.
BRAFMAN: But there were -- there was pain in Michael Jackson's life. Whether it was real, whether it was imagined, he walked in pain. He functioned in pain. He complained of pain.
He was so thin that you had to believe that the pain was real and you could see in the -- in his speech pattern. Sometimes they were halting that there was a pain that enveloped him. Whether it was real, whether it was psychological, I don't know. I'm not trained in that regard but I worried about Michael Jackson a lot.
I mean one of the things I said to Mark Geragos 20 minutes after we met Michael Jackson, I said, "You know, mark, I think we can win this case." The question is, will Michael Jackson live through the ordeal?
COOPER: You really -- you worried about that.
BRAFMAN: I actually said those exact words within 20 minutes of meeting him because he was so gaunt and so thin and walked so slowly and he spoke so haltingly that I really worried about his ability to survive the ordeal.
The ordeal of a criminal trial whether you win or lose another is hard work. It's a emotional process. It's a humiliating experience especially with these charges. And you know your whole life is turned open.
And you know Michael Jackson, one thing was really interesting, the fan base. They're all young. I really -- I grew up liking his music but I was never crazy. And when I went out to California for the first time to be injected into the Michael Jackson case I remember leaving the courthouse on the day when he danced on the car and a young Japanese girl came up to me and she was about 13 years old and she said to me "Did you touch Michael Jackson?" and I said, yes. And she reached out and touched my hand and she fainted into her girlfriend's arms and I said, "My God, this is like really crazy."
That's what you had.
You had people camped out all night.
TOOBIN: We were standing next to each other when Jackson danced on the hood of the car and that sort of frenzy was like something I had never seen. Now maybe the Beatles were like that, maybe Elvis at his peak. But the frenzy around Michael Jackson was something different.
COOPER: Ben Brafman, he was lucky to have you in the time that he did. Appreciate you being on to talk about what you can. Thank you.
BRAFMAN: Thank you very much.
COOPER: And Jeff, as well, thank you very much.
Ahead on 360, in his own words you will hear from Michael Jackson, discussing his life, discussing his pain. Well, that's coming up.
Also the music from "We are the World" and "Thriller" to so much more. We'll look at his height of popularity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXCERPT FROM "WE ARE THE WORLD" BY USA FOR AFRICA)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXCERPT FROM "ABC" BY THE JACKSON 5)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Beyonce tonight, reacting to the death of Michael Jackson.
And all this last two hours, we've been talking to people who knew Jackson among them Clive Davis. I spoke to the music industry legend by phone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Clive, your thoughts upon first hearing that Michael Jackson has died?
CLIVE DAVIS, RECORD PRODUCER (via telephone): My first thoughts were deep sadness, shock and the feeling of such compassion. He was really one of the great all-time performers, recording artists, entertainers.
COOPER: You've worked with a lot of artists over the years. Where does he -- I mean you said he's one of the greatest. What about him made him so unique?
DAVIS: Well, personally, he really spanned decades of being the number one recording artists of all times. His influence on so many artists that I meet daily. If they talk about major influences on even their performing, their recording, their writings, Michael Jackson is so often is at the top of the list.
So he was monumental in the influence that he had, the hits he had, and of course he's status in itself -- his career spanned decades.
COOPER: In terms of what his life was like, it's got to be -- I mean people right now are already talking about the stress that he was under in later years. But the stress and the attention he has gotten from the time he was a little child, it is hard to imagine what that must be like.
DAVIS: Although, he might have been used to stress as far as being a performer at an early age, there was really that compared to the preparation for this event; what was to come up in London.
He had been away from the recording scenes; performing scene for a number of years. His more recent epics were not as giant as obviously, what distinguished him as an old-time performer. So him coming back and the length of time it's taken, the preparation to top anything that he had ever done before, it had to be so unique even for someone in music and show business all of his life.
COOPER: You've been working with Whitney Houston on what many are terming her huge comeback. Do you think Michael Jackson could have made a comeback?
DAVIS: I always felt that Michael Jackson could make a comeback. I've always viewed him as an all-time performer with a unique voice and ability so that it really would be a material. You know I felt, because he and I had talked from time to time, that it really wasn't the material and I don't know what process he used to gather material. And I know that protest was intimidating to him but I always felt, Michael Jackson could be on top again.
COOPER: What was he like one on one?
DAVIS: Well, whenever I dealt with him and he did not record for me. But we did have interaction. And I had my Grammy party each year. He would always call me and ask, well, who's going to perform at your party? And we would go over even the order of it.
And during his litigation, he was always longing to come but it was his lawyers at the last minute who advised him against it.
COOPER: Clive Davis, I appreciate you calling in tonight. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. Thank you very much, Clive.
DAVIS: Thank you Anderson.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: The legendary Clive Davis.
Still ahead, back to the vigil at UCLA where some of Michael Jackson's most loyal fans are gathering to pay their respects.
We're getting hundreds of people on the blog, on the live chat. You can join in at AC360.com; join the live chat. People from Egypt, people from Nigeria, all around the world talking about what Michael Jackson meant to them.
A look, live there at marquee on the Apollo Theater in Harlem. "In memory of Michael Jackson" it says, "A True Apollo Legend."
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXCERPT FROM MICHAEL JACKSON CONCERT)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Wyclef Jean saying Michael Jackson made him believe that all things are possible.
So many people sharing their memories of Michael Jackson with us tonight, both on the program and also on the live chat at AC360.com. Just reading them, again, just people from all over the planet right now, sharing in this moment of grief.
Legendary record producer Barry Gordy signed the Jackson 5 to the Motown label in 1968. Michael Jackson was just 10 years old. Here's what Gordy said a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARRY GORDY, RECORD PRODUCER: A lifetime. He only comes along once. And so we had the benefit of enjoying him while he was here and we're going to enjoy him forever through his music.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Michael Jackson's sudden death today at age 50 just weeks before what was to be his final tour. It means many questions about his complicated life -- often controversial life -- may go unanswered.
What we're left with, of course, are his words and, of course, his music. We first heard from him as a child.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Describe the performance that you've put on.
MICHAEL JACKSON, ARTIST: What I do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
JACKSON: Most of my songs are fast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, what do you put into it?
JACKSON: Well, whatever I sing, that's what I really mean. Like when I'm singing a song. I don't sing it if I don't mean it.
My schooling was three hours with a tutor and right after that I would go to the recording studio and record. And I would record for hours and hours until it was time to go to sleep. So it would be nighttime.
And I remember going to the recording studio, there was a park across the street. And I'd see all of the children playing and they'd be rooting and making noise and I would cry. It would make me sad that I would have to go and work instead.
Oh, there's a lot of sadness about my past life and you know, adolescence and my father and all of those things. It just made me very, very, very sad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So he would tease you, make fun of you?
JACKSON: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would he -- did he ever beat you?
JACKSON: Yes, he did. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that was, difficult to take. Getting beaten and going on stage and performing?
M. JACKSON: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And why would he beat you?
M. JACKSON: Because he saw me -- he wanted me to -- I guess, I don't know if I was his Golden Child or whatever it was.
Nobody thought this would last.
They were chanting, they want to see the baby. So I wanted to show them the baby. I'm not going to let him fall.
It's very lonely. That's what the world needs now, more love. The world needs more heart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world needs man who is 44 sleeping in bed with children?
M. JACKSON: No, no, you're making it all wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, tell me, help me.
M. JACKSON: Because, what's wrong with sharing love? You don't sleep with your kid or some other kid who needs love? Who didn't have a good childhood?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't. I would never dream of something...
M. JACKSON: I would, I would. You've never been where I have been mentally.
If you really want to know about me, there is a song I wrote which is the most honest song I've ever written. And it's the most autobiographical song I've ever written. It's called "A Childhood."
I said, listen to it. That's the one they should really listen to.
This is it. I mean, this is really it. This is the final, this is the final curtain call. I love you. I really do, you have to know that. I love you so much. Really. From the bottom of my heart.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: So much achieved; so much left undone.
Still ahead, back to the vigil, hearing from the fans; looking there at the scene in Los Angeles happening right now.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: We've been getting a lot of e-mails on the live chat on AC360.com from viewers who wanted to know about Janet Jackson, her reaction. We've just received a statement from Janet Jackson. The statement reads "Janet Jackson is grief stricken and devastated at the sudden loss of her brother. Stated her manager can't (INAUDIBLE). She's in pre-production on a film and is flying immediate to California to be with her family."
It didn't say where she is now but says she's on her way back to California to be with her family.
We want to take you now back to the scene outside of the UCLA Medical Center. Ted Rowlands is with some of the people continuing to gather at the hospital -- Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Anderson, a lot of mix of emotion here. A lot of people are somber. The crowd has thinned out a little bit, but then are there people celebrating Michael Jackson's life: Some people with candles; a lot of people with signs, homemade signs that they've made very quickly, all coming down here.
One individual that has come down here is Joseph, came down. You're in town. Why -- why come here when you heard the news that Michael Jackson had died?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I was devastated. Just hurt, devastated, crushed. I can't describe what I feel on the inside. He was a legend. He meant so much to everybody as you see. Black, white, green, orange, yellow, it's a crushing blow to America or to the world, actually.
ROWLANDS: How would you describe your connection to Michael Jackson?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I was raised with him. He's only five years older than me. I believe we hit the same -- at the age of nine. Ever since then we watched him grow up. He's just -- his music touched your soul.
ROWLANDS: Has coming here helped because you're with like-minded people?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yes, it helps because even though you see a lot of cheers going on, people are really hurting on the inside. We're actually masquerading our hurt by the singing of the songs. Actually I'm not singing, I'm just watching.
It's pretty painful right now.
ROWLANDS: Thanks, Joseph.
Anderson, one of many different emotions that we're seeing out here outside the UCLA Medical Center where Michael Jackson was pronounced dead earlier this afternoon.
COOPER: Yes. People just want to be together, want to be with each other. Strange stories; a lot of them on the blog at Ac360.com with a live chat; you still have time to go there, talk with other viewers who are mourning Michael Jackson right now. Also tonight, we're saying farewell to Farrah Fawcett. The actress who gained fame in "Charlie's Angels" died of cancer. We'll look back on her life and career in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Some of the Michael Jackson moments nobody can forget is just ahead. But first, Erica Hill has a "360 Bulletin" --Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, more unrest and arrests in Iran; reportedly dozens of university professors taken into custody after meeting with the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. Another demonstration is planned for tomorrow in Tehran. The mood in the capital city is described as defiant but nervous.
A show of force against the U.S.; tens of thousands attending an anti-American rally in North Korea today as the regime said, it would, quote, "fire a shower of nuclear retaliation if the U.S. attacks their country."
And fighting over a landmark energy bill in D.C.: President Obama says the Clean Energy and Security Act will create jobs and help stop global warming. Republicans, however, call it a job killer. Democrats fear they might have enough votes to pass it.
COOPER: All right. Erica, Michael Jackson's death following news of the loss of another famous figure -- Farrah Fawcett. The icon and actress died today in Santa Monica, California after a long and very public battle with cancer; very courageous battle.
Fawcett's career spanned decades. But it was in the 1970s, of course, where she gained international stardom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): She was famous before we knew her name, in dozens of ads.
Her face, her smile, that golden hair, pitched products, turned heads and glowed from the seat of a 1937 Chevy. That's where this picture was taken, posing in front of an Indian blanket. It's one of the most popular posters of all time.
Hollywood took notice of the young woman from Corpus Christi.
Small roles led to the big break in 1976 when Aaron Spelling picked her for a new show about three female detectives. "Charlie's Angels" made her a superstar. Marketed as action dolls, cups, almost anything; the angels even graced the cover of "Time" magazine.
As Jill Munroe, Farrah became an icon of the decade. And then after the first season, she suddenly quit.
Farrah Fawcett divorced her husband, actor Lee Majors. She began a long-term relationship with Ryan O'Neal while searching for more serious fare. She found it as a woman who kills her abusive husband in "The Burning Bed" and as a rape survivor in "The Extremities."
FARRAH FAWCETT, ACTRESS: It was a little hard to shake. I didn't take anything from anybody if you know what I mean. Don't mess with me.
COOPER: There would be three Emmy nominations and there would be controversy; a high-profile case against an ex-boyfriend who was found guilty of assaulting her. There were also rumors of drug use after this wobbly appearance with David Letterman. She said she was just acting.
Nearly 50, Farrah posed naked for Playboy.
In 2006, the angels reunited at the Emmy Awards.
FAWCETT: The eye of that televised storm together.
COOPER: That same year, Fawcett learned she had cancer. She sought alternative treatments in Europe, a personal fight she made very public with a documentary.
FAWCETT: I know that everyone will die eventually. But I do not want to die of this disease.
COOPER: In the final weeks, Farrah Fawcett was surrounded by her loved ones. At 9:28 Thursday morning, she died.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Farrah is gone. Oh, my God.
COOPER: Farrah Fawcett.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Farrah Fawcett is gone.
Still ahead, Michael Jackson, the best of, when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Bringing you up to the minute tonight, Michael Jackson died today. His heart stops beating. His death sudden, though perhaps not entirely unexpected.
An autopsy set for tomorrow; early results to follow.
A special edition of "LARRY KING" is next right after a small sampling of Michael Jackson, the way we'd all like to remember him.
I'll see you tomorrow night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(THE BEST OF MICHAEL JACKSON)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
