DESPITE his death ten years ago, historic sex claims against Michael Jackson have continued to resurface.
The impending release of documentary Leaving Neverland has seen his estate rush to his defence – but just how much is the King of Pop worth?
EPA
What is Michael Jackson’s net worth?
It is very difficult to pin down what someone is worth after their death but Jacko was more than £370million in debt when he died from a drug overdose in June 2009, aged 50.
He was known for his extravagant spending and accounts from 2015 — the most recent available — showed his estate was still shelling out thousands each year on balloons, flowers and cakes.
They also showed that £67,000 was spent on upkeep at Jacko’s Neverland Ranch, while the estate was in possession of a “train and carousel” valued at £1,800, five Rolls-Royces valued at up to £75,000 and a 2001 Bentley Armitage worth £68,000.
Other spending included £300,000 on public relations and £3.7million in legal fees.
How much has Jackson’s estate made since he died?
Following his death, a crack team of accountants and legal experts turned the singer’s finances around and claim to have generated gross earnings exceeding £973million.
The healthy balance was revealed in papers filed at Los Angeles Superior Court by the estate’s executors.
Lawyers stated they had “successfully rebuilt and enhanced Jackson’s image”.
It would have been a huge benefit to his kids Prince Michael, 21, Paris, 20, and Blanket, 16, and his frail mum Katherine, 88.
EPA
When and how did Michael Jackson die?
Jackson’s personal physician Conrad Murray said he found the singer in bed and not breathing on the afternoon of June 25, 2009.
The pop legend had been rehearsing past midnight on the night of June 24, ahead of a series of comeback concerts at the London O2 Arena, and had not left his bedroom in the morning.
After trying to revive Jackson for five to ten minutes without effect, Murray called paramedics who performed CPR on the singer for 42 minutes at his house in the Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, before he was taken to the hospital.
The ambulance arrived at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre at 1.14pm, and Jackson was pronounced dead after over an hour of attempted resuscitation at 2.26pm.
He died of an overdose of the drugs propofol and benzodiazepine after suffering a cardiac arrest.
An autopsy also found the drugs midazolam, diazepam, lidocaine and ephedrine in his body.
How can I watch Leaving Neverland?
The controversial documentary Leaving Neverland will air on Channel 4 TONIGHT and TOMORROW (March 6 and 7) in two parts.
It will start at 9pm on both nights, but if you miss it you can catch it on Channel 4 +1 an hour later or on All 4.
The two-part film, made by British filmmaker Dan Reed, contains interviews with two former childhood fans of the Thriller singer who claim they were abused by him when they were children in his enormous California mansion dubbed Neverland.
