More pictures available. View the galleryAmerican music producer David Gest reflects on his 40-year freindship with the King Of Pop Michael Jackson after his untimely death in Los Angeles.
Media personality Gest, 56, was one of the few people who knew the musical genius describing Jackson as a 'loyal friend' who made him laugh.
The TV star David said: 'There is nobody who knew Michael like I did. He was so gifted.'
Back in 2002 David Gest produced Michael Jackson's 30th anniversary spectacular, which remains the highest rated live music event in American TV history.
Taped at New York's Madison Square Garden, the Jackson anniversary celebration was an all-star concert salute to the King of Pop.
It was Michael's first live U.S. performance in more than a decade and the first reunion with his brothers in 17 years.
The roster of performers and guests include Destiny's Child, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Usher, Britney Spears, 'N Sync, 98 Degrees, James Ingram, Gloria Estefan, Mya, Chris Tucker and a host of others.
Gest, who found fame in the UK on the 2006 series of TV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! became close friends with Michael when he was 16 years old.
The Jacksons family had moved into a mansion only a short drive from his own family home in Encino, California.
Gest first got to know the popular entertainer when he called at the house to the star's sister, La Toya, on a date.
David said: "It was just puppy love, nothing serious. La Toya had the flu so Michael, who was nearly 12 at the time, asked me to drive him to a memorabilia sale.
The outing proved to be the start of a life-long friendship with a shared love of shopping, collecting and eating in fast food restaurants.
David, who called Jackson 'M', has told how the megastar always kept up to date with music and revealed his favourite contemporary artists were Beyoncé, Eminem and Dr Dre, the Black Eyed Peas and Kelly Rowland, whom he had a crush on.
He added: "His all-time favourite vocalist was Whitney Houston. Michael always said she could sing the Yellow Pages and it would sound great."
Fans of the singer will no doubt be fascinated to learn that Man In The Mirror and Heal The World were Jacko's favourite songs from his own body of work.
David added: "She's Out Of My Life and One Day In Your Life were his favourite of the ballads."
Michael famously acted as best man when David married the singer Liza Minnelli, in March 2002 in New York City, with Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor as maid-of-honour.
Back in the seventies, though, David and his celebrity pal shared another past time together - plastic surgery!
'Michael and I had always felt insecure about the way we looked. He became obsessed with the idea of having plastic surgery.'
'He would say to me, 'Don't you want to look better?'
'So I got a nose job, cheek bone implants, a second nose job, even bigger cheek implants, and the removal of those cheek implants when I ended up looking like a chipmunk!
'After each operation Michael would always come over to my apartment in Beverly Hills and look after me.'
David puts the key to his enduring friendship with Jackson down to treating him like a 'normal' person.
He said: 'When we would take a trip together, I would always make Michael get out of the car and fill up with gas.'
'He would say, 'Who is the star here?' and I would say, 'When you are with me, I am!'
'We would always go to McDonald's, Michael loved their French fries, or KFC. He loved that chicken, although he would take the skin off because he thought that made it organi, that would crack me up.
Once, while travelling in disguise, Jackson and Gest visited Disneyland together to watch Captain EO, a Disney 3D movie which he starred in.
David added: 'When we came out I said, 'You were brilliant' and he went, 'Oh thanks, have you only just realised?'.
Then when we got home I made him Moonwalk in my kitchen, then I tried it and fell flat on my face!"
He added: 'There will never be another Michael Jackson, he was a musical innovator, a great dancer and you know what else? He was one hell of a friend
SOURCE:
http://www.clickliverpool.com/clocked/celeb-stories/125022-david-gest-reflects-on-loyal-friend-michael-jackson.html
Aww he should have spoken up, but this is David Gest so I don't how true everything he said is.
