Michael Jackson's former bodyguards reveal the amazing truths of the superstar's final 2 years--his life in hiding with his children, the financial crises that forced him into the ill-fated This Is It tour, and the events that led to his shocking death.
On the brink of financial ruin and driven from his beloved sanctuary at Neverland , Michael Jackson spent his final years living like a nomad, moving his 3 children from the Middle East to Ireland to Las Vegas to Virginia and finally back to Los Angeles, living in near-total seclusion in a futile attempt to escape a world that wouldn't leave him alone.
Starting with Jackson's secret return to the U.S. in 2006, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard--a veteran security professional and a brash, untested rookie, both single fathers themselves--served as the singer's personal security team. Stationed at his side nearly 24/7, they were the gatekeepers between Michael and the outside world, making them the only 2 men who know what 60 million fans around the world are still desperate to find out: What really happened to the King of Pop?; How Michael and his children stayed under the radar from day to day; the efforts required to give the 3 kids some semblance of a normal life; the simple joys they found to fill their days; the true extent of Michael's financial crises (Whitfield and Beard were often not paid for months); the open warfare with the Jackson family; and the star's increasing paranoia--the truth is far more compelling than anything previously reported.
An indispensable piece of pop-culture history, Remember the Time is the heartfelt story of a tragic and troubled family, the devastating cost of fame, and the lengths to which a father will go to protect and provide for his children. Remember the Time dismantles the tabloid myths once and for all and gives Michael Jackson back his humanity.
BILL WHITFIELD, a New York native, and JAVON BEARD, who grew up in South Central Los Angeles, served for two and a half years as the personal security team for Michael Jackson. They have appeared on Nightline, and Good Morning America, and have worked with numerous other high-profile clients, including Sean "Diddy" Combs, Andre Harrell and Shaquille O'Neal.
TANNER COLBY is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts, Belushi: A Biography, and Some of My Best Friends Are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America, which was nominated for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Non-Fiction by the American Library Association. He is also a frequent contributor to Slate magazine.
