October 5, 2003 – A Las Vegas newspaper praised Michael’s charity work

The article below was published in the Las Vegas Sun. It was written by Timothy McDarrah, who is a writer for VegasBeat. The newspaper report covers Jackson’s recent charitable program at the Art & Music Gallery in Las Vegas. VegasBeat is printed every week from Sunday through Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. You can send your comments about this article to Timothy McDarrah at the email address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

“It didn’t seem strange to me at all. It was Michael Jackson himself. Jacko—the odd, strange figure that Britain’s ruthless rumor-mongering newspapers call him—had a rare appearance at a gallery in Las Vegas, and VegasBeat was lucky enough to be invited. Jackson didn’t wear a surgical mask. He shook hands with a number of some of the most generous people—who had helped him raise five thousand dollars for the charity Lili Claire—and hugged them. He then stepped outside the Art & Music gallery at Desert Passage to greet and shake hands with a crowd of thousands of fans who had gathered to see him for a moment. Inside the gallery, when Steve Schneider, a dentist from San Diego, gave Michael a white glove and a surgical mask so he could sign them, the King of Pop leaned back his head with a smile. Jackson said, “I really liked it, and I have to say, this is the first time.” The not-so-tall star was dressed in his usual style (of course—his own style!). He wore a red, peppery-colored velvet captain’s vest with yellow trim, black trousers with red stripes, boots covered in silver sequins, a simple friendship bracelet (without any other jewelry), and sunglasses. When Chris Larkin, a Las Vegas businessman, along with his wife Maria and their 11-month-old son Chris Jr., went over to Jackson, Michael kissed the baby and lifted him up for a photo. Larkin says, “It couldn’t get any cuter than that.” After the visits and greetings, we asked Jackson what he thought about the nine-minute segment especially prepared for him in the music awards program on NBC. In a calm voice, he said, “I’ve been very much appreciated.” And this was while we were standing next to his rented limousine with license plate number 24 7 7 near the hotel entrance. Then some of his fans ran over and asked for a photo. He politely asked VegasBeat to stay for a moment, and took photos with the excited group.”