Michael Jackson’s Legacy

2nd Jul

Michael Jackson’s Legacy

I believe Michael Jackson will go to his grave innocent of every charge and accusation leveled at him.

I believe Jordi Chandler and Gavin Arviso and their families should have the death of the King of Pop on their consciences for the rest of their lives. They should hang their heads in shame.

I believe in both cases the accusations were dreamed up by twisted, money-hungry no-marks who saw an opportunity to take Jacko, who was without doubt a sad, reclusive and incredibly strange loner, for every dime he had, and took it with both hands spurred on by greedy lawyers with chips on their shoulders.

Jordi, who played along with the ruse thanks to more than a firm nudge of encouragement from his skint dad, made the initial sex abuse claims while he was under a ‘truth drug’-style anaesthetic administered by his dentist father.

I am convinced father and son – because, remember, Jordi’s mum believed the claims to be completely fabricated and even said as much – took the decision to press ahead with the case with dollar signs fixed firmly in their eyes. During a taped telephone conversation between Jordi’s dad and a pal Jordi’s father explained how the whole thing was getting out of hand.

Obviously in the end Jacko settled out of court, writing a check for $22million dollars for the Chandlers, quite possibly on the advice of his legal team. But why did Jordi and his dad settle for that? I know if someone was abusing one of my two children I would want them to be jailed for as many years as was possible in a bid to keep other children safe from their abuser. I wouldn’t settle for money. Unless money was my only motive. See what I’m getting at?

Then more than a decade later and in the wake of Martin Bashir’s now infamous television interview with Jacko, Gavin Arviso who featured prominently in the show, makes claims similar to the ones made by the Chandlers. Arviso even admitted to police that he lied in interviews about four days before his mum took the stand and began ranting about there being a conspiracy between the German lawyers.

The star was eventually found not guilty. Quite right as far as I’m concerned. But while the whispers, innuendo and bad taste Jacko paedo jokes did the rounds on the worldwide web an already damaged star was left to pick up the pieces of his life all alone. How badly it affected him is anyone’s guess. But I suggest he probably wasn’t taking every prescription drug he could get his hands on before Chandler and his dad made the sex abuse allegations.

In the four years since he was cleared Jacko’s health has been in steady decline. As if it wasn’t enough to have had an abusive father, he was now left to try and find a place to hide while the dust settled. Which isn’t easy when you’re one of the most famous – and altered – faces in the world. But hide he did and within 18 months he was beginning to plan a comeback. The string of gigs would have been probably one of the greatest tours by a modern artist and those who had tickets were no doubt counting the days to the big night.

Whether Jacko would have been fit enough to complete the tour is debatable, but if he had of made it would have been one hell of a show. Now we’ll never know. What we do know is that a man of undeniable talent has gone, leaving only his music as a legacy – and what a legacy. But it all could have been so different.

Written by Doug