MICHAEL Jackson’s final bodyguard has revealed the hidden torment which he believes played a major part in killing the ‘King of Pop’ at the age of just 50.
Bill Whitfield said Jackson – who would have turned 66in August – had become “frail” in the weeks before his death in 2009.He revealed that he believes stress was a significant factor in the pop icon’s untimely death.
Bodyguard Bill Whitfield has alleged the child sexual abuse accusations levelled against the music legend caused him to become a shadow of his former self and placed enormous stress on him as he was planning another tour just weeks before his unexpected death.
Celebrity security pro Bill became Jackson’s bodyguard in December 2006 – not long after he had been cleared of shocking child sex abuse allegations.
He said he had read stories about the case and took the job unsure in his own mind about whether the allegations could be true.
Bill told The Sun: “He was sad a lot. Things were different, he had just come off facing a couple of trials.
“Like everybody, I heard all the stories prior to working for him, so it would only be normal for me to go into the situation wondering.
“Being that up close and personal with someone, if that was the situation, it would reveal itself.
“I paid close attention to him and his surroundings and how he interacted with his kids, and other people
“I never wanted to believe these things, but I definitely kept an eye out, paid extra attention, because I didn’t know him until I started working for him.”
Bill ended up considering the star a “very good friend” – and saw Jackson in some of his most vulnerable moments. He insisted the accusations have no weight to them and said: “That’s not who he was.”
Bill added: “Nothing like that even remotely came to the surface to make me believe or assume otherwise.
“It wasn’t his character. You had to be around him to know him and I was there. So no, that wasn’t him. And so it just still surprises me when I hear things like that.
“I’m just sorry he wasn’t around long enough to actually tell his side of the story so people could get a better understanding of who he was.
“He would never hurt a child. That wasn’t the man I knew.
“He once said he would slit his wrist before hurting a child.
“So I know those accusations were hurtful for him. I can tell that changed him.”
Michael found himself at the centre of a media storm in 1993 when he faced accusations of child sexual abuse. Although a civil settlement was reached, a decade later, in 2005, more serious charges led to a high-profile trial.
Despite extensive FBI investigations, no evidence was found to support the accusations, and Michael was ultimately acquitted of all charges.
Bill told the outlet that the stress significantly impacted Michael’s health: “I could see he was a little more frail than normal, he was doing a lot of rehearsing. I could tell it was weighing on him.”
