The former bodyguard of iconic singer Michael Jackson has revealed the reason behind the singer’s decision to ignore a call from former President Bill Clinton.
Matt Fiddes appeared on James English’s podcast titled Anything Goes, discussing the legendary star who passed away in June 2009 from a cardiac arrest. During the episode, Matt recounted a moment when Michael, aged 51 at the time of his death, asked him to inform former President Bill Clinton that he would return his call later, as he was in the middle of reading a bedtime story to his children over the phone.
In his conversation with James English, Matt contextualized the situation by highlighting Michael’s close relationship with his children when they were young. He emphasized Michael’s commitment to fatherhood, recalling instances where Michael prioritized his children’s safety and well-being.Matt also mentioned how Michael’s children, Prince, Paris, and Blanket (now known as Biggie), were aware of the threats against them and the precautions their father took to protect them.
He said: “The one thing I’ve always said, this guy was my mate right. When his kids were young it weren’t so bad. Now they’re adults, they’ve got their own opinion, Prince, Paris and Biggie who used to be called Blanket, they obviously know what the situation is out there. The only thing I don’t talk about is his kids because I think if they want to speak out they can.”
Regarding the controversy surrounding Michael placing masks on his children’s faces when they were younger, Matt clarified that it was done to shield them from potential kidnapping threats, not out of eccentricity. He explained that this decision was made by another family member concerned about their safety.
He added: “What I will tell you is that, that guy was an amazing dad. He put me to shame. I’m a workaholic I learnt a lot from him, he put me to shame as a dad. I remember on Father’s Day once, his kids couldn’t come to England because there was a £1m ransom on who could get a picture of Michael Jackson’s kids unmasked and he didn’t want to put them at risk.”
He continued: “So he had another security team with them in New York with a nanny called Grace and me and Michael were in London doing business. And phone calls were coming in wanting to speak to Mr Jackson and I realised Michael was on the phone. And I was like ‘Mike, President Clinton calling’.
He said ‘ I’m on the phone to my kids, tell him I’ll ring him back’. And he was reading them bedtime stories over the phone on Father’s Day. He’d blocked out four to five hours reading them a bedtime story.
Despite the challenges and threats Michael faced, Matt emphasized that Michael was an exceptional father who devoted extensive time to his children, even reading them bedtime stories over the phone for hours on Father’s Day.Overall, Matt’s insights shed light on Michael Jackson’s dedication to his children’s safety and his efforts to provide them with as normal a childhood as possible despite the constant scrutiny and threats they faced.