Friends of the late Michael Jackson have claimed that his iconic high-pitched voice wasn't how he truly sounded.
As the king of pop, Jackson's death sent shockwaves across the world as one of the most iconic voices and dancers passed suddenly.
Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50, with his death due to an overdose of the drugs propofol and benzodiazepine following a cardiac arrest.
Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, would later be charged with involuntary manslaughter because he supplied the pop star with the medication.
Even though over a decade has passed since the king of pop's untimely passing, his iconic voice still remains one of the most distinctive that the world has ever heard.
It turns out, that his high-pitched talking voice may have been a persona, as revealed in 2005 by his friend and musical director Samm Brown III.
Speaking to VH1 and since cited by the Daily Star, he said: "I hope he [Jackson] doesn’t get angry at me for telling you this, but that’s his public persona. I remember a time I called him up and he answered the phone and I didn’t know I was talking to him, because he was talking in his normal voice, which is pretty deep."
Liza Minnelli and David Guest, close friends of Jackson, further delved into his unique vocal identity during a joint appearance on Larry King Live. Guest remarked: "I think people don’t know the real him. He doesn’t talk like [that]."
Minnelli shared a humorous anecdote, revealing that she had always believed Jackson's high-pitched voice was genuine.
However, her perception changed when she overheard a conversation between Jackson and her late partner using their natural voices. In amazement, she confronted Jackson, saying: "I said: ‘Michael, you’re busted. I got you now. All these years you’ve been talking in that voice!’"
When asked about their thoughts on why Jackson might have adopted this persona, both Minnelli and Guest believed it was a form of self-protection from the public scrutiny and criticism that he had faced.
Minnelli offered a theory, stating: "‘This is who you think I am and I can be me within these walls but you can’t come in.’ He’s been hurt too much, Larry. I mean, they have said kind of rotten things about him. The person that we know is a rather regular guy, believe it or not."
In a 2005 interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jackson's former wife Lisa Marie Presley concurred with the observation that the singer spoke in a "normal voice" when not in the spotlight. Presley affirmed this perspective and provided insight into Jackson's personal demeanor, which markedly differed from the carefully crafted public image he presented.
Maybe the king of pop that we were all familiar with was a different person behind closed doors after all...