It’s been quite a few years since “King of Pop” Michael Jackson was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey - it was 1993 to be exact – and footage of the landmark meeting is hard to find. But the interview speaks volumes about the pop singer’s impact on the world and how, 16 years ago, he was still a musical force.
Michael Jackson died June 25, 2009, of apparent cardiac arrest.
The primetime interview was conducted at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch and a tour of the 2,700-acre facility was part of the 90-minute Oprah special. Furthermore, the interview was live and broadcast around the world.
Oprah mentions early in the interview that the singer was open to talking about “everything.” And Oprah never shies away from anything. The two talk about his early life, which he describes as “lonely, sad, having to face popularity and all that.”
Jackson even mentions a time when he was at a record study recording and was able to see a playground full of children his age. “I would cry because it would make me sad that I would have to work instead.”
Jackson talks about the rumor he owned the bones of John Merrick, the Elephant Man. He discusses the Pepsi commercials, a moment during which pyrotechnics caught his hair on fire. Plastic surgery, Elizabeth Taylor, Neverland Ranch.
Perhaps most revealing is his discussion about the children he once entertained at Neverland Ranch and how he considered that an attempt to recapture his own lost childhood. This is at a time before allegations about improprieties surfaced.
You can read the full interview at AllMichaelJackson.com.
