Michael Jackson has been a target of the rumor mill long before he passed. Now, more than ever, everyone is talking about his eccentric life and mysterious death. ESSENCE.com separates fact from fiction.
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Tabloid: MJ bleached his skin because he wanted to be White.
Truth: The King of Pop told Oprah Winfrey in a 1993 interview: “As far as I know there is no such thing as skin bleaching. I don’t know what it is…I have a skin disorder that destroys pigmentation of my skin.” And more recently an ABC News special showed photos of MJ’s legs, confirming that he had vitiligo, a skin disorder manifested by smooth white spots on various parts of the body.
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Tabloid: Numerous nose jobs had caused the tip of MJ’s nose to fall off.
Truth: The singer suffered from a staph infection which he developed and received treatment for before it escalated into a flesh-eating infection.
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Tabloid: It’s been reported that Jackson molested former child actor and star of “Home Alone” Macaulay Culkin.
Truth: In 2005, Culkin, who was a longtime friend of Jackson’s,
testified that the “Thriller” singer never molested him.
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Tabloid: Jackson and ex-wife Debbie Rowe are not the biological parents of his three children.
Truth: During a broadcast interview with London reporter Martin Bashir, the journalist asked Prince Michael who was his mother, to which he replied: “I don’t have a mom.”
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Tabloid: Debbie Rowe is planning to seek full custody of Jackson’s three children.
Truth: At press time, Rowe’s lawyer said she had not decided if she would seek custody. In the meantime, Katherine Jackson has temporary custody of the children.
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Tabloid: Jackson’s dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, is allegedly the biological father of MJ’s children.
Truth: Dr. Klein told CNN’s Larry King that “to best of my knowledge I’m not the biological father.”
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Tabloid: Jackson’s body was not in the casket during the broadcast memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Truth: There was no vehicle procession to Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery where the Jackson family reportedly had chosen as his final resting place.
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Tabloid: Jackson’s family did nothing to help with his alleged drug addiction.
Truth: Tito Jackson revealed to Britian’s Daily Mirror that he “never saw Michael on drugs,” and that he and his siblings barged in on the singer to talk to him, but his baby brother denied that he had any addiction.
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Tabloid: An author claims that Jackson cross-dressed and lived a closeted gay lifestyle.
Truth: Jackson had two ex-wives, Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, and no one can prove he lived a duplicitous life.
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Tabloid: Jackson’s nurse, Cherilyn Lee, reported that the singer was in a great amount of pain prior to his untimely death.
Truth: Dr. Arnold Klein, Jackson’s dermatologist, contradicts Lee’s statement by saying he was in good health when he visited the office three days before he died and seemed to be in good spirits, dancing for him and his patients.
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Tabloid: The King of Pop’s death is ruled an overdose.
Truth: Authorities were investigating the pop star’s death as a possible homicide, though they have since ruled out such a case. La Toya Jackson has said she believes her brother was indeed murdered.
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Tabloid: It’s been reported that Jackson molested former child actor and star of “Home Alone” Macaulay Culkin.
Truth: In 2005, Culkin, who was a longtime friend of Jackson,
testified that the “Thriller” singer never molested him.
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