Katherine Jackson: Michael Told Me People Wanted Him Dead
June 25 2010, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
Katherine Jackson, appearing in a Dateline NBC special to mark the first anniversary of son Michael Jackson's death, told the network that her late son was in constant fear that “mean, evil, vicious” people were out to kill him.
“He told me several times that he felt that people wanted him gone, wanted him dead,” Katherine told NBC's Sonia Lowe. “It's just some of the mean, evil, vicious people didn't want him around for some reason. They're greedy.”
One person she excludes from that description is Debbie Rowe, the mother of two of Jackson's three kids, who Katherine dubbed a “very friendly, kind, nice person.”
As RadarOnline.com has previously reported, Katherine is expected to attend a tribute ceremony Friday in Gary, Indiana, where the Jackson family once lived.
In the meantime, Michael's three children -- Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket -- were snapped by photographers in Hawaii Thursday, the day prior to the anniversary of his death. While the Thriller singer obsessively kept them covered with masks and veils, the kids have become celebrities themselves in the wake of his death.
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“Out of all the people in Michael’s life, I think Michael adored his children more than anything else,” Katherine said. “And they adored him.”
TV Guide Observes Anniversary Of Michael Jackson’s Death With Trio Of All-New
Jackson died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles; his physician at the time, Dr. Conrad Murray, pleaded not guilty in February to involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the death.
His mother said that if she could see him one last time, "the main thing I’d want to know is what really happened?”
Dateline's Michael Jackson: A Mother’s Story airs Friday at 9/8c on NBC.