Michael Jackson’s enigmatic life and untimely death have never failed to fuel public intrigue for decades. However, Matt Fiddes, the late singer’s close friend and bodyguard, has always worked to clear up misconceptions about the King of Pop and tried speaking the truth behind the headlines.
Fiddes, a businessman-turned-bodyguard, first met Jackson through mutual friend Uri Geller. Even though their meeting began as a request for martial arts training, it soon developed into a deep friendship. Fiddes eventually offered to protect Jackson free of charge. He made it clear that he wanted to be someone the star could trust amidst a sea of financial exploitation. “I didn’t need the money,” Fiddes said during his interview on Anything Goes with James English.
A major part of Fiddes’ mission has been to break the “Wacko Jacko” persona often attributed to Jackson. “It takes hours to become Michael Jackson. It’s all an act,” he said. In a separate interview, Fiddes revealed, “He would make himself ridiculous to wind the media up.”
Fiddes also clarified some of Jackson’s quirks as a parent. He explained about the infamous use of masks for his children. It was intended to protect them from public scrutiny. However, the plan backfired when tabloids started offering massive sums for unmasked photos of his kids.
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Regarding the 2002 balcony incident where Jackson dangled his infant son, Blanket, over a ledge, Fiddes defended the star. In his interaction with Express, he said the photo’s angle made the situation appear more dangerous than it was. Still, the backlash was enough to devastate Jackson. “He knew he’d made a massive mistake and locked himself in his room for a day afterward. He was devastated,” Fiddes recounted.
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Jackson’s death in 2009 from a prescription drug overdose deeply affected Fiddes. He had been witnessing troubling signs in Jackson during his final months. Alongside Uri Geller, Fiddes intervened to curb Jackson’s access to painkillers. He even confiscated drugs and attempted to keep doctors away.
“We went to great efforts to keep the doctors away,” Fiddes told Sky News. Unfortunately, all these efforts were in vain as Jackson fell prey to his prescription reliance. Fiddes did not hold back his anger as he stated, “[The doctors] have Michael’s blood on their hands, and they know what they’ve done.”
Michael Jackson’s Bodyguard @MattFiddesUK of 10 Years Spills the Beans (& Lessons) on #TDEPodcast:
Audio: https://t.co/drAlfgVNgH
Video: https://t.co/6vJ06Fjgvg pic.twitter.com/wR4zZO02iJ
— Rob Moore (@robprogressive) February 18, 2021
He had been loyal all along, but the star’s family seemed to walk in the opposite direction to him. Fiddes revealed that Jackson’s family cut all contact with him following the singer’s death. Speaking on Anything Goes with James English, he said that financial motives could have been a factor there. Fiddes termed the disassociation to be deeply painful.
