Producer Mark Ronson explains why he's now had to 're-examine' hotel meeting with Michael Jackson aged 13
Renowned music producer Mark Ronson has opened up about his experience meeting Michael Jackson in a hotel room while he was just 13 years old.
The 'Thriller' singer's legacy remains controversial due to long-standing allegations of abuse, with the first major claim having come in 1993, when Evan Chandler accused Jackson of molesting his 13-year-old son, Jordan.
However, Jackson denied any wrongdoing and faced no criminal charges after a settlement of around $23 million was brokered between them.
He faced pedophillia accusations and court cases in the latter years of his life, and music fans were divided over whether the former Jackson 5 member had done anything wrong.
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The debate reignited after the 2019 release of Leaving Neverland, where Wade Robson and James Safechuck, now adults, alleged abuse by Jackson during their childhood.
However, Jackson’s estate continues to deny all accusations, but it seems to have led to a now 50-year-old Ronson 're-examining' the time he met the famed moonwalker in a hotel.
At just 13 years old, Ronson found himself at a party in Jackson’s hotel room, and his new book, titled Night People, shares details of that evening.
He was introduced to Jackson - who would have been around 30 years old at the time - by his childhood friend Sean Lennon, the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The night began after one of Jackson’s Bad Tour shows, when about 50 guests joined the singer for an afterparty.
Ronson, an aspiring musician even then, expected something different from the meeting.
Instead, he was taken aback by Jackson’s behavior, which he described in surprising detail: "[Michael] was just obsessed with throwing these soggies out the window, like taking big mounds of toilet paper and making them damp and then throwing them at parked cars."
He added: "It’s so crazy to say it out loud."
Ronson insisted that nothing inappropriate occurred, but admitted that in light of later allegations he’s replayed that evening in his mind countless times.
"Obviously, with allegations that came later, of course, it made me re-examine that event too many times. I wouldn’t say it’s a highlight of my childhood, but it was certainly one of the most memorable experiences," he said, per The Sun.
"I was like, for whatever reason, there was nothing weird or untoward on that night."
Ronson went on to work in the music industry and is celebrated for his work with stars like Amy Winehouse on 'Back to Black' and Bruno Mars on 'Uptown Funk'.
He has won nine Grammy Awards, and even an Oscar and a Golden Globe for 'Best Original Song', with 'Shallow' in A Star is Born.
Topics: Michael Jackson, Music, Celebrity
Joe Yates