Liza Minnelli: The ugliness of people took Michael Jackson’s life

Liza Minnelli—Oscar-winning actress and daughter of Judy Garland—was a longtime friend of Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor. Recently, in an interview with the Daily Mail, Liza talked about the Michael she knew:

“Not a single day goes by that I don’t think about Michael. He was an extraordinary, talented human being, but he didn’t win the fight for his life because he didn’t know the rules of the game. He and his sisters and brothers had to practice all the time, while kids his age were out playing and having fun.

Michael’s life was dictated to him carefully by his father. According to the family’s religious rules, these children were not supposed to work at all—but once they started earning money for their father, there was no longer any restriction on their working. Michael was exploited and abused from the moment he was born.

Eventually, he managed to free himself from his family. He built the beautiful land of Neverland for himself and the children, and supported their families. Then one day, the father of one of those kids showed up and said, ‘Right now, give me $30,000, or I’ll tell everyone that you abused my son.’ And that’s when Michael called me.

When he told me what happened, I remember that I went silent and then told him Michael might be better off letting his lawyer know. And he said, ‘But this is madness!’ I repeated my point and told him that this man was extorting him—and he said it was exactly that. I said, ‘That’s why you have to let your lawyer know.’

What people forget is that the parents of these kids also had access to Neverland and were treated royally. But then a whole bunch of other people became even more eager than the first ones.

I remember he was friends with a girl* and he was interested in her. He brought me the ring he had bought for her and showed it to me. I asked him what he wanted to tell that girl, and he didn’t know. I said, ‘Let’s practice,’ and we did that too.

But that girl didn’t accept his proposal. She said she wasn’t ready to take on responsibility yet and asked Michael to propose again in six months. But this situation broke Michael’s heart and hurt him. I knew all of his girlfriends, including Lisa Marie (the daughter of Elvis Presley), who later became his wife.

In the end, mockery, cruelty, and people’s cold-heartedness—people’s ugliness and lowliness—took his life away. He was one of the best stage performers we’ve ever had. He changed everything. When he was on stage, he was a king.”

* Probably Brooke Shields

Source: eMJey.com / dailymail.co.uk