HEARTBROKEN Jermaine Jackson has told how he clung to his dead brother's hand, showered his face with kisses – and asked him: “Why did you go? What do you want me to do?”
The 54-year-old former Jackson 5 star choked back tears as he described the moment he said goodbye to his late brother Michael at his hospital bedside.
Less than two weeks before his sudden death Michael was in good spirits at a family party thrown by Jermaine and sister Janet for their mum Katherine and dad Joe.
Tragic
As Michael left the Hollywood restaurant, his last words to the family were: “See you at the O2″ – the venue for his string of 50 London concerts which had been due to begin this month.
But on June 25 Jermaine received a call telling him 50-year-old Michael had been rushed to hospital. And less than an hour later his mum Katherine, 79, broke the tragic news that the star was dead.
Jermaine rushed to the UCLA Medical Centre to hold his beloved brother for one final time. And he revealed yesterday: “On the day we got the news, my wife and I were on the other side of the city doing some business and my wife's phone rang.
“It was a journalist saying, 'Do you know anything about your brother Michael being rushed to hospital?' I just said 'No'.
“I immediately called my mother and she said she was on her way to hospital but hadn't got there yet.
“Around 45 minutes went by and during that time Janet called me because she'd heard about it. Then an attorney of mine called. He just said, 'It's pretty bad'.
“That's when I called my mother back and she just said, 'He's dead'. I'll never forget the tone of her voice – I've never heard that tone before. It was just awful. I just broke down in tears.
“My wife and I rushed across town. I got there as fast as I could. I was an hour away but got there really quickly.
“We had to take so many freeways and as we got closer to the UCLA we saw all the helicopters in the sky and the streets were all blocked off – that's how we knew he was there.
“The security let us through and, once I got inside, I went to the emergency part. My mother and my cousin were there, and the doctor.
“I went straight to my mother first. I caressed her and held her – and then I wanted to see Michael.
“It was so tough for me to see him lifeless and breathless – just lying there. So I went inside and I just held his hand, kissed him a lot and cried.
“We believe as Muslims that his spirit is very much with us, he is very much alive. It was just the body, just a shell. That helped me a lot.
“Then it hit me. Being his brother and the union we have shared as the Jackson 5 for so many years. It hit me I had lost my brother and what we had all fought for – the unity.
Tragic … Michael in rehearsals days before he died
“I just said, 'Michael, what do you want me to do? Michael, I love you and I miss you so much. Why did you go'?
“I told him, 'We will keep the legacy going. We will keep it dignified as you kept it. We will be a strong family and we won't let this be a situation which is the beginning of a breakdown of the family'. I found myself talking to him in the sky. It's a strange thing but I feel he's everywhere. His message is so powerful – and what he stood for. I feel that he hears me. I'm not expecting an answer back from him, but I feel that he hears me. It gets emotional, but I really feel that he's all around.”
Jermaine was forced to say a premature goodbye to his brother less than two weeks after their final meeting – a happy family scene in a Hollywood restaurant. And Jermaine revealed: “I had seen him before the rehearsals, when my sister Janet and I planned a surprise party for my mother and father. They walked in and everyone was there. We had food and gathered together and Michael was there with his children and he looked good.
“He's always been thin so that didn't surprise me, but he was so excited about performing at the O2. Michael looked happy and was talking to everyone. The next generation of Jacksons were having their pictures taken with him.
“Of course all the kids migrate to him, saying, 'Michael, Michael'. He was sitting across from our brother Jackie and his wife and, when it was time to go, he said: 'See you guys at the O2'. That was the last time I saw him. I remember singing a song with him and making harmonies. I told him what a great job he did singing it and he said, 'That means a lot to me coming from you'.
“Then a week and a half later we got a call and he had gone.”
Jermaine also revealed his guitarist son Jeremy had been due to join Michael on stage for his London comeback shows. The 22-year-old was invited to join the extravaganza weeks before Michael died. Jermaine said: “Michael was always looking to do something different, something bigger.
“He even told my son Jeremy that he wanted him to perform with him. And then there was a note they found in his house that said, 'Jeremy's going to come on stage and play guitar'.
Jeremy has it and is treasuring it.” Jermaine insisted his brother was raring to go for his UK concerts. He said: “It was all in England which he loves, there was a huge castle set up for him. The night before he died he was hugging the musicians and laughing and saying, 'Let's do this'. He knew he could do this.”
Jermaine added: “They were bringing 3D to the stage for the first time with Earth Song and Thriller and all these things jumping out at you. New arrangements, amazing stuff. I feel for all his fans in the UK because I'm a fan.
“I just wish I would have seen that show because I know he was ready and he knew he was ready too.”
POSTED IN BRITISH TABLIOD THE SUN
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