Michael Jackson’s bodyguard has revealed his thoughts on the singer’s sexual abuse allegations and what he believes caused the King of Pop’s death.
Bill Whitfield said the legendary singer, who would have been 66 today, was “very sad” before his death in 2009 after enduring a number of tough trials.
Speaking with The SunJackson’s former and current bodyguard revealed that the pop star was hurt by the serious allegations against him, saying: ‘He would never hurt a child, this is not the man I knew.’
Bill became Jackson’s bodyguard in 2006, shortly after the Billy Jean singer was acquitted of abuse allegations.
But after spending countless hours with Jackson and becoming a “very good friend,” the security professional said he believed that if the allegations had been true, the situation would have revealed itself.
Bill Whitfield (left) was Michael Jackson’s last bodyguard before he died of an overdose in 2009
Bill became Jackson’s bodyguard in 2006, shortly after the singer was acquitted of a series of sexual abuse allegations.
Michael Jackson photographed rehearsing for his This Is It concerts just two days before his death
He admitted that he kept a close eye on the star’s actions and behavior, even paying attention to Jackson’s interactions with children after reading stories about the allegations.
After working with the pop icon for several years, Bill came to the conclusion that the allegations were unfounded.
“It wasn’t his character. You had to be with him to know him and I was there. So no, he wasn’t. And so it still surprises me when I hear things like that,” he told the newspaper.
Bill heartbreakingly explained that the pop star died before he had a chance to tell his side of the story, and that the singer once said he would “slit his wrist” before he hurt a child.
In 1993, Jackson came under investigation by the LAPD after allegations emerged that he had molested a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler.
But police found no incriminating evidence at the singer’s Neverland ranch or his Los Angeles home.
In 2003, Jackson was arrested by police on child abuse charges. However, police did not immediately release details about the charges or the identity of the victim.
In February 2005, Jackson was tried on charges of child sexual abuse.
The victim, identified as Gavin Arvizo, claimed on the witness stand that Jackson had masturbated him, with his brother corroborating his claim by saying the singer had given them alcohol and shown them pornography.
In June 2005, Jackson was finally acquitted of all criminal charges.
The Thriller singer was shocked and upset by the four-month-long trial and decided not to return to Neverland and refused to perform at major concerts.
Just four years later, however, Jackson made a shocking announcement that he planned to return to the big stage for his This Is It tour from July 2009 to March 2010.
However, Bill admitted that the star became “a little more fragile than usual” during this time, claiming that all the rehearsals leading up to the residency took a toll on Jackson’s health.
That same year, the pop star was again accused of masturbating on the phone by Briton Terry George, when he was only 13 years old in 1979.
The Billy Jean singer was left ‘hurt’, ‘weak’ and ‘shocked’ by the allegations against him, his bodyguard said. Pictured: Michael Jackson attends the 2006 World Music Awards at Earls Court in London
Jackson died on June 25, 2009, just three weeks before his This Is It tour was set to begin. Pictured: Michael Jackson performing We Are The World onstage at the World Music Awards, 2006
Tragically, the King of Pop passed away from an overdose on June 25, 2009, just three weeks before This Is It was set to launch.
Jackson had been rehearsing into the early hours of the morning when his personal physician, Conrad Murray, found him unconscious on his bedroom floor at 2:26 p.m.
Bill admitted he wondered whether his “really good friend” could have been killed on purpose, but ultimately he believes “a lot of things, and that includes a lot of us” contributed to the pop legend’s death.
“There were so many people who not only wanted to be with him, but there were so many people who wanted something from him. And that can be overwhelming. He was definitely stressed. And stress kills,” he said.
In 2019, Bill revealed on Today that he fondly remembers Jackson as a father, stressing that many people didn’t get the chance to see the pop star the way he did.
“I certainly believe that the level of stress he was under personally and professionally played a role, I really do,” he said.
He also said that the people who came forward claiming they had been abused by Jackson were “liars” because he had not seen any evidence.
Years after Jackson’s death, allegations of sexual abuse continued to surface. Wade Robson, now 41, and James Safechuck, 46, alleged that the late King of Pop sexually abused them when they visited his Neverland ranch as young children in the ’80s and ’90s.
Robson (left) alleged he was abused by the late singer from the age of eight, from 1990 to 1996, and Safechuck alleged the sexual abuse occurred between 1988 and 1992, beginning when he was about 11 years old.
The men allege that horrific sexual abuse took place at Jackson’s Neverland ranch
James Safechuck, now 46, (left) and Wade Robson, 41, have rebuilt their lives away from the spotlight
Both men say the alleged abuse, which lasted seven years in Robson’s case and four years in Safechuck’s case, left them mentally traumatized.
Despite their happy new lives, Jackson’s ghost continues to haunt both men thanks to the ongoing lawsuit with the singer’s companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures.
Robson and Safechuck say that the staff at MJJ Productions are complicit in the abuse they suffered, as they knew Jackson was manipulating and abusing children and helped him cover it up.
Both men are now fighting to have the trial take place this year, before the release of a new biopic starring Jackson as his nephew Jaafar, 27.
Immediately after Jackson was found dead, Murray attempted to revive him for five to ten minutes before calling emergency services.
After an hour-long resuscitation attempt, Jackson was pronounced dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
An autopsy a day later revealed that the pop star had died of a drug overdose, after taking a combination of medications including propofol and lorazepam.
The coroner ruled Jackson’s death a homicide, and in November 2011 Murray was sentenced to four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter after giving Jackson propofol for two months to treat his insomnia prior to his tour.
Murray ultimately served only two years of his sentence before being released in October 2013.
