While recalling the death of her son, Michael Jackson, his mother, Katherine Jackson, testified on Friday, having emotional breakdowns while on the stand. Katherine Jackson and Michael’s children are suing AEG Live for what they believe was the wrongful death of the late pop star when he was only 50-years-old.
According to Michael’s 83-year-old mother, AEG Live was negligent in hiring Dr. Murray in the first place and she wants them to pay up, but the trial isn’t going as smoothly as the Jackson family would have hoped.
Friday was Katherine’s first time taking the stand in the case and she admitted that she just couldn’t handle hearing the hurtful things that people had to say about her son.
“He was not a freak,” she told the courtroom. “It’s hard to sit here in court and listen to all these things. My son was sick and nobody was trying to help him.”
She cried several times throughout the testimony and explained that she, even, was able to see that something was wrong with Michael.
“Then I saw he was thinner,” she said in reference to a family reunion they had in May of 2009. “I didn’t notice at first because of how he was dressed. He had a jacket on.”
Her heartfelt testimony got even more emotional as she tried to show the court that her son was actually a good guy who always took care of her.
She explained that he always gave her lavish gifts, fixed up the family’s home, and was always there to support her whenever she needed it. “He gave me everything,” she said shortly after stating that nobody could ask for a “better son than Michael.”
In the midst of the all the negative testimonies about the “Thriller” crooner, Katherine gave the court memories of a playful child who was in love with singing and dancing.
“He was born that way, dancing around,” she said with tears in her eyes. “He wouldn’t be still.” Katherine also shared memories of Michael singing into bottles and pretending it was a microphone.
During her testimony, she also remembered the day she found out her son didn’t make it. “I just started screaming,” she said as she began crying and tightly grasping the tissue in her hand. Perhaps the hardest memory of all was remembering what Michael’s daughter, Paris Jackson, said after she heard the news her father had passed away. According to Katherine, Paris just looked up at the sky saying, “I can’t live without you. I’m going with you.” Despite her recent suicide attempts, Paris was the “bravest” child in Katherine’s eyes.
Paris’s older brother, Prince, has also testified during the trial but the younger children are not expected to take the stand. While Katherine requested to suspend her testimony after intense cross-examinations, it is now up to the Jackson family and their legal team to prove that AEG Live was just as responsible for Michael’s death as Dr. Murray.
