August 18, 2008. Copyright 2008, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Pop phenomenon Michael Jackson, who retreated from adult life to his own Neverland, faces up to 50
By Susan Shepherd

LONDON, August 18, Graphic News:  Looking back over half a century, it sometimes seems that Michael Jackson has already lived three lives. First there was the bouncy, brown-faced little boy with round cheeks and afro hairstyle, whose ability to sound like a junior James Brown or Stevie Wonder made him the natural lead singer of MotownÕs answer to the Osmonds, the Jackson Five. Next came the solo career, the collaboration with Quincy Jones which begat ÒOff The WallÓ and ÒThrillerÓ -- still the biggest-selling album of all time -- the stunning music videos and the sell-out, record-breaking world tours. The maturing Michael was nothing less than an ambassador for his generation, frequenting the White House, raising millions for famine relief in Africa and promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS. He dated beautiful women and could count Hollywood stars among his best friends. And then, with all the inevitability of a Greek tragedy, life began to unravel. Universal fame and astronomical wealth, beyond anything the kid from Gary, Indiana, could have imagined, appeared to affect JacksonÕs personality and judgement. Cosmetic surgery and stress-related illnesses wrought physical changes, including the dramatic whitening of his skin, which have left him unrecognisable from his childhood self.

Although he has survived allegations of child sexual abuse, his trial in California in 2005 -- together with a television documentary by British journalist Martin Bashir two years earlier -- exposed a bizarre private life where young fans were invited to sleepovers at his fantasy ranch, Neverland and his own children -- two from a brief, second marriage to nurse Debbie Rowe and the third the result of a surrogacy -- wore veils when they ventured out in public. Jackson later spoke of his ÒbetrayalÓ by Bashir, who was given unprecedented access to the family.

Now living in Las Vegas, Jackson was recently photographed taking his children to a local bookstore. Wrapped in a blanket, huddled in a wheelchair and wearing a surgical mask, he led an entourage which included bodyguards for 11-year-old Prince Michael I, his 10-year-old sister, Paris, and their half-brother, Prince Michael II, six this year and also known as Blanket. It was this third child who, as a baby in 2002, was dangled by his father over a hotel balcony in Germany, a stunt for which Jackson later apologised.

Whether the wheelchair was due to chronic back pain, or simply another attempt at disguise -- Jackson wore a womenÕs burqa when living in Bahrain two years ago -- itÕs a long way from the energy and innovation of the entertainer who dominated the 1980s with his moonwalk dance move, trademark single white glove and intricately choreographed sets. It is now over 10 years since his last tour and seven since his last new album, Invincible (2001). Neverland stands empty, its playgrounds abandoned and the zoo animals, including Bubbles the chimpanzee, all gone. The property, where Jackson once hosted Elizabeth TaylorÕs wedding, was closed in 2006 on the orders of the State of California, the huge debt amassed on it being sold to a private company in a late deal to spare its former owner the humiliation of a public auction.
/ENDS