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Elton John Says Michael Jackson Was A ‘Disturbing Person To Be Around’

Elton John and Michael Jackson.
Credit: Alamy

Elton John says that Michael Jackson was a ‘disturbing person to be around’. 

The ‘I’m Still Standing’ singer made the claim about the King of Pop, who died in 2009 aged 50, in his memoir ‘Me’.

John alleges that when Jackson was younger, he was a very different person.

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The 75-year-old explains: “I’d known Michael since he was 13 or 14.

“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.”

John goes on to speculate that Jackson changed due to his use of prescription drugs.

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The ‘Hold Me Closer’ singer continues: “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 that the poor guy had totally lost his marbles.

“I don’t mean that in a lighthearted way. He was genuinely mentally ill, a disturbing person to be around.”

In the year John’s memoir was published, the release of the high-profile documentary Leaving Netherland was released. It explores the s** abuse allegations made against the ‘Billie Jean’ singer.

Although John didn’t refer to these allegations specifically, he did claim that Jackson appeared to prefer the company of children to adults.

Michael Jackson and Elton John.
Elton John has said Michael Jackson was a ‘disturbing person to be around’. Credit: Alamy

He pens: “For whatever reason, he couldn’t seem to cope with adult company at all.”

Elsewhere in the memoir, John recalls a lunch he had with the musician back in the 90s.

As reported by NME, he alleges that Jackson’s makeup looked like it had been applied by a ‘maniac’ and his nose was ‘covered with a sticking plaster’.

He adds: “The poor guy looked awful, really frail and ill.”

John also claqims that Jackson left the table ‘without a word’ and was then found in the cottage of his housekeeper with her 11-year-old son, where they were ‘quietly playing games’.

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Michael Jackson isn’t the only celebrity that John discusses in his memoir, as he also mentions Queen Elizabeth II.

Discussing her sense of humour, John writes: “I know the Queen’s public image isn’t exactly one of wild frivolity, but… in private she could be hilarious.”

He goes on to say that he considered Princess Diana to be the People’s Princess.

John comments that she had been ‘blessed with an incredible social ease’ and ‘an ability to make people feel totally comfortable in her company’.

The ‘Rocket Man’ singer met Princess Diana back in 1981 and they quickly became close friends.

Reportedly, they bonded over their fondness for the Charleston dance style.

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Written by Aimee Walker

Aimee is a senior content editor at IGV who specialises in finding the best original stories, trending topics and entertainment news. She graduated from Birmingham City University with a degree in Media and Communications.