Interview With Frank Cascio About Michael Jackson

Frank Cascio, to mark the release of his book “My Friend, Michael,” did an interview with The Huffington Post. The interview offers a glimpse of what’s in the book. Meeting Michael Frank was 4 years old when he met Michael for the first time in 1984. For 25 years after that, the Cascio family traveled around the world with Michael, went to Neverland, and Michael was a guest in their home in New Jersey during Christmas celebrations and other occasions. When Frank turned 18, he began working as Michael’s assistant and then became his manager. Frank and this family’s relationship goes back to a time when the head of the family, Dominick Cascio, was the general manager of the Helmsley Palace Hotel in New York. Michael, who was staying at that hotel, began a friendship with him and then Dominick invited Michael to his home. Michael invited the children of the Cascio family—Eddie, Frank, and their daughter Nicole—to join him on his concert tour and travel around the world. Frank says: “We were a big family. Michael was part of us. Every Christmas, Thanksgiving, and birthdays we celebrated with him. We partied together. His presence with us was a family tradition.” Using Painkillers Frank sometimes saw Michael taking painkiller pills. “Of course, every time there was a physical reason behind it, and doctors would give him pain medication. For example, at a concert in Munich, something terrible happened on stage, and as a result his back was injured and he had a lot of pain, and his doctor gave him medicine. His use of painkillers wasn’t constant and depended on his physical condition. Still, sometimes I worried about him.” The Cascio family tried to intervene regarding Michael’s medication use, but Michael didn’t want to talk about it. Accusations “The accusations from 1993 were truly a hard blow for him. He hadn’t done anything and was accused. The Chandler family was only after money, and they extorted him. The father of the family was jealous of Michael. It was very sad. The whole world judged Michael badly. He was a beautiful person—Michael’s innocence and his kindness toward children were completely the opposite of what they took from it. He was very concerned about helping children, and they used that as a tool and turned it against him.” “Me and my brother slept in his room hundreds of times. For people who look at this from the outside, it might seem strange or wrong. But Michael was a different kind of person. You can never compare him to anyone else. He truly had the heart of a child. He was truly chosen and special. But I have to tell you that nothing improper ever happened. In fact, he had absolutely no sexual interest in children. My children were his source of inspiration—that’s it!” Frank says Michael was the kind of person who talked with women and was drawn to that direction. During the 2005 trial between Michael and Frank, there was a separation. What was the reason? “Someone with bad intentions told him that I wasn’t willing to testify in his favor in court. That was fundamentally untrue. I was praying to God that I could tell the truth in court, but my name wasn’t in the case file and I wasn’t able to testify. The people who worked for him at that time were very jealous and malicious, and they gave him false information. They didn’t want me to be part of Michael’s team, and they did everything they could so I wouldn’t be able to work with Michael anymore. I was very saddened because from the bottom of my heart I was ready to do anything for Michael.” Mental/Financial Crisis Frank says that in the final years of his life, Michael became aware of the financial crisis that an incompetent team had caused for him, and he decided that things had to change. “He had bad advisors around him, and I’m very happy that John Branca is now one of the trustees of his foundation, because through all the ups and downs he has always remained loyal to Michael. He has always done the right thing.” Murder Trial Frank has heard Michael’s recorded voice that was played in court during Conrad Murray’s trial. Murray recorded Michael’s voice after injecting him with drugs. Frank says: “Why did this man (Murray) record Michael’s voice in such circumstances? His work was wrong. This should never happen to anyone. When someone is in this condition, you shouldn’t take advantage of them. It’s very sad because if you listen to that audio tape, you can understand how worried he was about the children of the world. He talks about building a hospital for them. He truly wanted this from the bottom of his heart.” The Best Father in the World “He was the best father in the world. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man who was so ready and eager to become a father. He was a father to me and my brothers and sisters. He had read many books about raising and bringing up children. He wanted to be the best father in the world, and he achieved his wish. I truly can’t explain what an extraordinary father he was. He loved his children more than life itself.” Source: eMJey.com / Huffington Post