Michael Jackson’s bodyguard has revealed his thoughts on the singer’s child sexual abuse allegations and what he believes really killed the King of Pop.
Bill Whitfield said the legendary singer, who would have turned 66 today, was “very sad” before his death in 2009 after facing a series of serious trials.
Talking with The sunJackson’s former and last bodyguard revealed that the pop star was hurt by the serious allegations made against him and said “I would never hurt a child, this is not the man I knew.”
Bill had become 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 if the claims had been true, the situation would have been revealed.
Bill Whitfield (left) was Michael Jackson’s last bodyguard before he died of an overdose in 2009.
Bill became Jackson’s bodyguard in 2006, just after the singer was acquitted of his series of sexual abuse allegations.
Michael Jackson rehearsing for his This Is It concerts just two days before his death
He admitted that he paid close attention to the star’s actions and behavior and, after reading the stories of the allegations, even watched how Jackson interacted with the children.
After working with the pop icon for several years, Bill eventually came to believe that the allegations held no weight.
“It wasn’t his character. You had to be close to him to get to know him and I was there. So no, that wasn’t him. And that’s why it still surprises me when I hear things like that,” she told the paper.
Bill heartbreakingly said the pop star died before he had a chance to tell his side of the story and revealed the singer once said he would “slit his wrist” before hurting a child.
Jackson began being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department in 1993 after allegations surfaced that he had sexually abused a 13-year-old boy.
But police found no incriminating evidence at the singer’s Neverland Ranch or his Los Angeles home.
In 2003, police charged Jackson with child abuse, but did not immediately release details of the charges or identify the victim.
Then, in February 2005, Jackson was tried again on further allegations of child sexual abuse.
The victim, identified as Gavin Arvizo, claimed on the stand that Jackson masturbated him before his brother corroborated his claim, saying the singer gave them alcohol and showed them pornography.
In June 2005, Jackson was finally acquitted of all criminal charges.
The Thriller singer was left shocked and distraught by the four-month trial and decided not to return to Neverland before refusing to perform at any major concerts.
Just four years later, however, Jackson made a surprising announcement: he planned to return to the big stage for his This Is It tour, which ran from July 2009 to March 2010.
The Billy Jean singer was left “hurt”, “fragile” and “shocked” by the allegations made against him, according to his bodyguard. 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 performs We Are The World onstage during the 2006 World Music Awards
But Bill revealed it was during that time that the star became “a little bit more frail than normal” and claimed all the rehearsals leading up to the residency had been taking a toll on Jackson’s health.
Tragically, just three weeks before This Is It was due to open, on June 25, 2009, the King of Pop died of an overdose.
Jackson had been rehearsing until the early hours of the morning when his personal physician, Conrad Murray, found him unconscious on the floor of his bedroom at 2:26 p.m.
Bill admitted to wondering if his “very good friend” could have been intentionally killed, but ultimately believes “a lot of everything, and including a lot of us” is what killed the pop legend.
“There were so many people who not only wanted to be around him, but there were so many people who wanted something from him. And that can be overwhelming. He was definitely stressed. And stress kills,” she said.
In 2019, Bill revealed on Today that he likes to remember Jackson as a father and highlighted that many people did not have the chance to see the pop star the way he did.
“I certainly think the level of stress I was going through both personally and business-wise certainly played a role, I really do,” he said.
He also said he believes those who came forward and claimed to have been abused by Jackson were “liars” as he had not seen any evidence.
Immediately after Jackson was found dead, Murray attempted to revive him for about five to ten minutes before calling paramedics.
After an hour-long resuscitation attempt, Jackson was pronounced dead at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
During an autopsy performed a day later, it was revealed that the pop star had died of a drug overdose after taking a combination of drugs that included propofol and lorazepam.
The coroner ruled Jackson’s death a homicide before Murray was sentenced to four years in prison in November 2011 for involuntary manslaughter after giving Jackson propofol for two months to help treat his insomnia before his tour.
Murray ended up serving only two years of his sentence before being released in October 2013.
