Elton John has been known to dabble with a word or two during his career in music. Over the years he has published a list of books including “Love is The cure”, and “On Life, Loss, and the End of AIDS”. In 2019, he published his memoir called “Me”. He spoke about all the truths, trials and tribulations he faced in his youth and throughout his career. One thing that stood out, was what said about the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. According to Elton, he, at one point, became “disturbing” to be around.
#FriendlyFriday: Michael Jackson and Elton John pic.twitter.com/Jl5NkfnQ1C
— Michael Jackson (@michaeljackson) January 30, 2015
Elton John’s honest memoir
The life of Elton John was a mystery for many years. He was well known on screen, and especially on stage. But, only those that were close truly understood the person behind the musical genius. That is, until he published his memoir in 2019. “Me“, is an honest autobiography of Elton’s life, and he spares no detail. For the first time, people were able to read into one of the most loved musicians of the world. It gave a new meaning to the Rocket Man singer’s perspective.
Elton John also spoke about the connections he shared with other celebrities and musicians. One surprising anecdote, was about Michael Jackson, nicknamed the King of Pop. Elton found Jackson to be a “disturbing person to be around”. He also mentioned that the pop singer may have been “genuinely mentally ill”.
“God knows what was going on in his head, and God knows what prescription drugs he was being pumped full of, but every time I saw him in his later years I came away thinking the poor guy had totally lost his marbles,” John wrote in his memoir. “I don’t mean that in the light-hearted way. He was genuinely mentally ill, a disturbing person to be around. It was incredibly sad, but he was someone you couldn’t help: he was just gone, off in a world of his own, surrounded by people who only told him what he wanted to hear.”
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"He's a very smart cookie. He knows what he wants, he knows what he's doing. I've nothing but admiration." ~E. John pic.twitter.com/jF47Ecs7ar
— MJJ ∞ King (@ladyjackson94) April 21, 2014
Jackson was not always strange, says Elton
According to Elton John’s memoir, he had known Jackson from a very young age. when he first came on the music scene, Eltondescribed him as “adorable”. “I’d known Michael since he was 13 or 14,” wrote Elton.“Elizabeth Taylor had turned up on the Starship with him in tow. He was just the most adorable kid you could imagine. But at some point in the intervening years, he started sequestering himself away from the world, and away from reality the way Elvis Presley did.”
As time went on, Jackson started distancing himself. Elton said in his memoir that “for whatever reason, he couldn’t seem to cope with adult company at all.” He added to that sentiment with a story of a dinner party he hosted. Jackson attended but reportedly ate nothing. After a while, he disappeared. Later, he was fund playing video games with the housekeeper’s 11-year-old son, in their cottage nearby.
The release of Elton John’s memoir coincided with the release of the documentary on Jackson’s life. It portrayed Jackson as a child molester. Wade Robson and James Safechuck star in the documentary with their accusation that Jackson sexually molested them when they were young. The Jackson Estate sued the documentary for defamation of character. Furthermore, Jackson’s fans sued the documentary under French law for denunciating a dead person in public.
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Sources
- “Elton John: Michael Jackson a ‘disturbing person to be around’.” Global News. Katie Scott. October 15, 2019.
- “Elton John says Michael Jackson ‘couldn’t cope with adult company’ in new book.” The Independent. Roison O’Connar. October 12, 2019.
- “Elton John Calls Michael Jackson A ‘Disturbing Person To Be Around’.” Huffpost. Ron Dicker. October 14, 2019.
