• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Elton John admitted Michael Jackson was 'a disturbing person to be around'

Home> Celebrity

Published 19:52 26 Apr 2023 GMT+1

Elton John admitted Michael Jackson was 'a disturbing person to be around'

The British pop icon revealed how he really felt about the King of Pop

The UNILAD Team

The UNILAD Team

Elton John once admitted that, according to him, Michael Jackson was a 'disturbing person to be around'.

The British pop icon, 76, made the revelation in his confessional memoir, Me, in which he recalled various interactions with the 'King of Pop', who passed away in 2009 at just 50 years old.

The 'Tiny Dancer' star described Jackson as 'mentally ill' and 'a disturbing person to be around'.

Elton John once claimed that Michael Jackson was a 'disturbing' person to be around.
AFF / Alamy Stock Photo

Advert

The singer explained that he'd first encountered the 'Thriller' hit-maker when he was a child, and he was allegedly a very different person back then.

"I'd known Michael since he was 13 or 14," Elton wrote back in 2019. "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."

The singer revealed what he thought was behind the change in Jackson's character and speculated that it was the result of his reliance on prescription drugs.

"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," he continued.

Advert

"I don't mean that in the lighthearted way. He was genuinely mentally ill, a disturbing person to be around."

Elton's words about Jackson's alleged mental state come after the release of high profile docu-series Leaving Neverland in 2019, which revisited the sex abuse allegations made against the singer.

Elton John with Michael Jackson in 1978.
MediaPunch Inc / Alamy Stock Photo

While Elton didn't comment on the allegations specifically, he did touch on the fact that Jackson appeared to prefer the company of children to adults.

Advert

He wrote: "For whatever reason, he couldn't seem to cope with adult company at all."

Jackson wasn't the only famous face that Elton opened up with in the memoir, however, as he also wrote about Queen Elizabeth II who passed away last year (8 September) at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

As other reports of the late monarch have also suggested, Elton revealed that she had a fantastic sense of humour.

"I know the Queen's public image isn’t exactly one of wild frivolity, but... in private she could be hilarious," he wrote.

Advert

The singer also added that Princess Diana was the 'People's Princess' to him too and said she had been 'blessed with an incredible social ease, an ability to make people feel totally comfortable in her company'.

Elton's memoir, Me, is available to purchase at most major book retailers.

Featured Image Credit: S.A.M. / Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: Celebrity, Michael Jackson, Music, Books

The UNILAD Team
The UNILAD Team

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

10 hours ago
12 hours ago
13 hours ago
14 hours ago
  • 10 hours ago

    Hulk Hogan’s daughter Brooke reveals shocking reason she didn’t attend dad’s tributes

    Brooke Oleksy shut down previous reports that she and her late father were on bad terms

    Celebrity
  • 12 hours ago

    James Gunn responds to Trisha Paytas naming baby ‘Aquaman’ following bizarre Ozzy Osbourne conspiracy

    DC Studios' co-CEO has reacted to the internet celeb having named her baby Aquaman - something she revealed on the day Ozzy Osbourne died

    Celebrity
  • 13 hours ago

    Fans spot Kelly Osbourne's 'subtle' tribute to dad Ozzy as she pays her respects during his procession

    The Osbourne family and the rest of the world are grieving the loss of a rock legend

    Celebrity
  • 14 hours ago

    Fans notice touching meaning behind item worn by Sharon Osbourne during Ozzy’s emotional farewell

    Sharon was joined by her and Ozzy's three kids at the funeral, which took place in Birmingham, UK

    Celebrity
  • Celebrity bodyguard who protected Michael Jackson explains why it was 'consistently horrendous'
  • Michael Jackson’s son 'Blanket' has new nickname after completely reinventing himself
  • Samuel L Jackson has clause in every contract which allows him to play golf twice a week
  • Michael Jackson once had a supermarket closed so he could pretend he was a normal person