Leaving Neverland, Dan Reed's explosive exposé into Michael Jackson's relationship with two former child stars, has reignited the debate over whether or not the King of Pop truly was a predatory paedophile. The documentary examines the testimonies of two alleged victims: Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who both claim that they were groomed and sexually abused by the star over a number of years.
As a result of the controversy provoked by the movie, a number of radio stations have boycotted Jackon's music and an old episode of The Simpsons featuring Jackson has been pulled from syndication. The general public appears to be more or less divided on the subject of the film. Die-hard MJ fans have lambasted the film as biased and one-sided, and claim that the allegations made by Safechuck and Robson have been fabricated for the sake of their substantial lawsuits against the Jackson estate.
However, defenders of the film have been examining Jackson's life and career with more critical eyes, and now an intriguing series of letters written by Jackson not long before his death appears to provide an insight into Jackson's mindset in his final days ...
German businessman Michael Jacobshagen, a close friends with the musician for over 20 years, was recently interviewed by broadcaster Daphne Barak on the Australian TV show Sunday Night. Jacobshagen revealed that he had received a tearful call from Jackson, begging him to fly from Germany to the US to be with him before his big tour at London’s O2 Arena. Not only that, but he had sent him a number of notes which revealed an intense paranoia.
In one letter, Jackson professes his belief that an unknown group is trying to have him killed, and that "I am scared about my life."
As if that wasn't damning enough, Jacobshagen himself is now accusing Jackson of having sexually abused him in his youth. The now-35-year-old claims that, after meeting with Jackson in 1995, he was invited to join him on his 1997 European tour, where he spent three weeks with the singer in a hotel suite.
In a recent interview with the Sunday Mirror, Jacobshagen stated:
"When I slept in his bed, we wore just boxer shorts and he would put his arm around me and push his body to my body, like you would with a girlfriend ... He would put our bodies on each other and kiss me on the head and cheek. I woke many times and his hands were on me... one hand on the top of my legs and one hand around me ... He’d pull me closer and be grabbing me more and kissing me more on the head and on the cheek, he would also stroke my hair."