The former bodyguard of iconic singer Michael Jackson has spilled the beans on why the singer chose to ignore a call from former President Bill Clinton.
Matt Fiddes appeared on James English's podcast titled Anything Goes, where he spoke about the legendary star who passed away in June 2009 from a cardiac arrest. During the episode, Matt touched on a moment he was left open-mouthed after Michael, who was 51 at the time of his death, informed him to tell the former President Bill Clinton he would return his call - in order to continue reading his children a bedtime story over the phone.
Michael Jackson posed for pictures with former President Bill Clinton at star-studded event (NY Daily News via Getty Images)Speaking to James English, Matt put the situation in context as he spoke about Michael's close relationship with his children when they were young. 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."
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. Unbelievable."
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When Michael Jackson's three children were younger, he came under public scrutiny for having masks placed on his children's faces. But Matt insisted that this was not an example of the star's eccentricity - it was to protect his children from the threat of kidnap. He continued to tell James that it was "not his decision by the way that was requested by someone else in the family who felt they were kidnap risks and they were." In doing so, Matt claims that Michael was able to provide his children with a semblance of normality as they could go to the park with their nanny and not be recognised.
But unfortunately for the singer, best known for his albums including Bad and Thriller, "he would have to stay in the car" as he "got death threats everyday." And Matt was also keen to stress that his children were made aware of the reason behind the masks as "they're smart kids."
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