Young MJ 'Talented, Adorable'

In 1972, Michael Jackson was a freak of a different kind—an incredibly gifted 14-year-old who never got scared onstage. Over many years and numerous interviews, Lisa Robinson got to know his private persona, she writes for Vanity Fair. She recalls his insistence that he liked girls but wasn’t interested in dating, his refusal to release the original “terrible” mix of Thriller, and his relationship with fans.

“I enjoy meeting my fans and I think it’s important,” he said. “But sometimes people think you owe your life to them; they have a bad attitude, like 'I made you who you are.' That may be true—but not that one person. Sometimes you have to say to them, If the music wasn’t good, you wouldn't have bought it. Because some of them think they actually own you.” (More Michael Jackson stories.)