Michael Jackson: Inside His Finances and Family
Jackson's bodyguards say King of Pop did not often see his family.
March 10, 2010— -- While the Jackson family portrayed a unified front at Michael Jackson's funeral, three of his former bodyguards said Jackson did not often see his family in the two years prior to his death.
"They didn't come around much and when they did, they came unexpected. And we'd say, 'Mr. Jackson, one of your family members is at the gate [and] would like to see you,' and he'd ask, 'Do they have an appointment?'" Bill Whitfield, one his former bodyguards, said.
Whitfield said family members were not allowed in if Jackson was "being creative," but that did not stop Jackson's youngest brother, Randy, from trying to see him.
"There was another occasion when Randy came to the house and crashed the security gate with his vehicle and came inside. And at the time, I didn't know who he was and I drew my weapon on him and the first thing out of his mouth was 'Get that thing out of my face or I'll call the press,'" Whitfield said, who said he put away his weapon when he realized it was Randy.
Whitfield said Jackson was "not happy" and refused to see Randy.
Taunya Zilkie, Randy Jackson's public relations representative, says she was with him that day. She told ABC News that she and Jackson were at the Las Vegas house that day but never made it on to the property. And Zilkie denied that a gun was pulled.
Zilkie said ABC News Randy Jackson went to Jackson's home that day for an "intervention" but was refused entry into the house.
The three bodyguards said that Randy tried to sneak in behind them as the doors to the gate were closing and hit the gate as he came though. Zilkie said Randy did not crash through the gate.
Whitfield, Mike Garcia and Javon "BJ" Beard met Jackson in 2007 and worked as his bodyguards for more than two years.
The three men said they were exposed to personal and very distressing parts of Jackson's life, such as a family intervention in 2007 for Jackson's alleged drug abuse.
"I get a call about 12:30 [pm], 'Bill, you need to come back, his whole family is here.' And I was taken aback," Whitfield said.
Jackson said he would only meet with his brothers, according to the bodyguards. But instead of allowing them into the house, they said Jackson met his brothers outside in the security trailer.
Beard and Whitfield said Jackson seemed "fine" afterward and simply left the trailer and went back to the house.
In November, Janet Jackson told "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts that she had unsuccessfully reached out to Jackson over the years about his drug use.
"I did," she said. "Of course, that's what you do. Those are the things that you do when you love someone. You can't just let them continue on that way. And we did a few times. We weren't very successful."