Michael Jackson’s brother reveals star wore ‘disguises’ and says life was ‘very difficult’ for him
- 07 Apr 2021
Michael Jackson’s brother Marlon has revealed that the late star used to wear unusual disguises to avoid being recognised in public.
Marlon, who is one of Jackson’s eight siblings and a member of the Jackson 5, said it was impossible for any of the family to lead a normal life – especially Michael.
He told The Guardian: “Michael had painted himself into a box. And it was difficult for him. Very difficult for him. It’s mind-boggling. If Michael just stepped outside, in a couple of seconds people would stop doing what they are doing. That’s why he started wearing disguises.”
Revealing he once spotted Michael in a record store, he added: “I walked up behind him and whispered in his ear: ‘Michael, what you doing here?’ He was
dressed as a bum. His clothes were dirty, he had bucked teeth, he had an afro, his shoes were dirty, his shirt was torn, but he’s buying all these excellent records.
“I said to him: ‘Another thing gave you away, Michael, you wear the same shoes all the time!’ They were the same loafers he wore on stage.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the Jackson siblings claimed their father, Joe, made them move bricks around the back garden to keep them out of gangs, and they discussed their grief over losing Michael 12 years on.
Michael died aged 50 from cardiac arrest after a drug overdose. His doctor, Conrad Murray, who had prescribed the drugs, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011.
“Every time I go into Vegas on the bus I see Michael next to me,” Jackie Jackson said. “His whole face is parked next to me on a billboard. I stop at a light and I say: ‘What’s going on, brother?’”
The siblings refused to discuss the allegations of sexual abuse against Michael. In June 2005, the star was acquitted on all charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy.
In the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, two men alleged they had been sexually abused as children by Michael, including Wade Robson, who had testified in the singer’s defence at his trial.
The Jackson estate has denied those claims and publicly denounced the documentary.
The Independent