Recalls the day of pop icon’s ‘moment of his communication with God’
A poster of the pop icon dons messages from well-wishers.
“All of a sudden, he stretched his hands, looking upward. It seemed to me that it was very important to him.” Riggs
Joe Jackson: Too soon for funeral
LOS ANGELES. Michael Jackson’s father said yesterday it was too soon to set a funeral date for the pop star, saying the family was waiting to hear details of a second, private autopsy on the self-styled King of Pop.
“We don’t have a time frame for that [the funeral] because I want to see how this autopsy is coming out,” Joe Jackson told reporters. REUTERS
Jackson’s mom takes in his kids
LOS ANGELES. Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s mother, was given temporary guardianship of his three children after she filed court papers yesterday seeking custody of them.
Katherine Jackson told the Los Angeles Superior court that they have “no relationship with their biological mother.” REUTERS
INTERVIEW. Seth Riggs was a friend and a teacher of Michael Jackson for 21 years. Riggs saw Michael in both bad and good times. Riggs opened up about some of Jackson’s secrets to Metro.
Q:You were in Russia when you learned of Michael’s death?
A: Yes, and my first thought was, I need to come back to London immediately. It was very strange feeling. I saw Mike just three months ago. He was feeling good. No complaints.
Q:Did you talk to his relatives?
A: A lot of his friends were mine, too. It’s our tragedy. As soon as I knew about his death, I grabbed my phone. I felt that I needed to call everybody who cared about him, who loved him as much as I do.
Q:What do you think was the real reason for his death?
A: Mike was killed! It was a real murder. Look, his doctor ran away. If there were no doctors around him, he would be OK! He shouldn’t have died!
Q:Had he ever thought about death?
A: You know, there was one moment. I was playing a piano, and he was standing next to me. All of a sudden, he stretched his hands, looking upwards. It seemed to me that it was very important to him. That’s why I left the room and switched the light off. After half an hour I came back to the room. He was whispering: “Thank you for my talent. Thank you for everything I’ve got. Thank you for all the people who love me. Tell me what I should do, and I’ll do it.” It seemed to me that it was the moment of his communication with God.
