REMEMBER THE TIME

Michael Jackson’s former bodyguards reveal the amazing truths of the superstar’s final two years—his life in hiding with his children, the financial crises that forced him into the ill-fated THIS IS IT tour and the events that led to his shocking death.

On the brink of financial ruin and driven from his beloved sanctuary at Neverland , Michael Jackson spent his final years living like a nomad, moving his three children from the Middle East to Ireland to Las Vegas to Virginia and finally back to Los Angeles, living in near-total seclusion in a futile attempt to escape a world that wouldn’t leave him alone. Starting with Jackson’s secret return to the U.S. in 2006, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard—a veteran security professional and a brash, untested rookie, both single fathers themselves—served as the singer’s personal security team. Stationed at his side nearly 24/7, they were the gatekeepers between Michael and the outside world, making them the only two men who know what 60 million fans around the world are still desperate to find out: What really happened to the King of Pop? How Michael, Prince, Paris, and Blanket stayed under the radar from day to day; the efforts required to give the three kids some semblance of a normal life; the simple joys they found to fill their days; the true extent of Michael’s financial crises (Whitfield and Beard were often not paid for months); the open warfare with the Jackson family; and the star’s increasing paranoia—the truth is far more compelling than anything previously reported. An indispensable piece of pop-culture history, Remember the Time is the heartfelt story of a tragic and troubled family, the devastating cost of fame, and the lengths to which a father will go to protect and provide for his children. Remember the Time dismantles the tabloid myths once and for all and gives Michael Jackson back his humanity. Bill Whitfield, a New York native, and Javon Beard, who grew up in South Central Los Angeles, served for two and a half years as the personal security team for Michael Jackson. They have appeared on Nightline, and Good Morning America, and have worked with numerous other high-profile clients, including Sean “Diddy” Combs, Andre Harrell, and Shaquille O’Neal. Tanner Colby is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts; Belushi: A Biography; and Some of My Best Friends Are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America, which was nominated for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction by the American Library Association.