Michael Joseph Jackson, dubbed by the world as the “King of Pop,” died of acute Propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication at his home on North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on 29 June 2009. Just two months shy of his 51st birthday. His death sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment world.
Immediately following his death, and now several years later, and especially on the day of his 59th birthday (29 August 2017), many people recall the sweet memories of their friendship with the legendary Michael Jackson. One such person is 59-year-old, world-renowned entertainer, Donny Osmond, who refers to Michael as “a brother from another mother.” It is almost as if they were born in a parallel universe. Both Donny and Michael came from a large family of nine children, and both were born as the seventh child. Their mothers also share the same birthday.
In a 2015 interview with the Huffington Post, Donny recounted the last conversation that he had with his friend Michael Jackson. He recalled that Michael told him, “Please don’t tell anybody, but I rented one of those big custom buses, those touring buses, and I took my kids. We’re hiding in Phoenix right now.” Michael was hiding from the press because everything had hit the fan. Donny told Michael, “Why don’t you do me a favor, Mike. You’re a nine-hour drive from my home in Utah. Bring your kids. No one will know you’re here. They’ll swim in the swimming pool. Have a little normalcy in your life.” Michael replied, “You know what Donny, I think I’m going to do that.” But he never did.
On Michael’s birthday this year, Donny shared a humorous story of an adventure that he and Michael had after presenting together at the first American Music Awards in 1974. They were both teenagers at the time. Donny shared the video of him and Michael presenting on his Facebook page along with a little behind-the-scenes story. According to LDS Living, he said in his post, “After the ceremony, Mike turned to me and said, ‘Are you hungry?’ We hopped in our limo, drove over to Jack in the Box and ordered a whole bunch of tacos. We opened the top of the limo, stuck our heads out and drove down Sunset Boulevard eating tacos and laughing our heads off. I wish I could go pick him up to enjoy some tacos and a good chat today.”
Donny continued, “Mike was a true genius. He might be gone, but his legacy and his music will never die. Happy birthday, friend.”
