Jackson’s mom had role in business, too

NEW YORK (AP) — Entering into a business relationship with Michael Jackson rarely meant a long-lasting partnership. Over time, especially in the waning years of his life, Jackson hired — then fired — a litany of associates, from managers to attorneys to publicists.

Most were dispatched after the relationship soured, and the trust had evaporated.

Perhaps the one exception in his financial life was Jackson’s mother, Katherine.

Jackson relied on his 79-year-old mother for more than emotional support: Documents show he put her in the position of trustee on contracts, including his lucrative Sony- ATV catalog, and associates say he also sought her input on other financial matters as he became more wary of those in his business circle.

“Any deal Michael did, he always called his mother up,” said Steve Manning, a close friend to the Jackson family. “She was the backbone of his spirit.”

“What he trusted was that she would make sure that his wishes were carried out,” said Mrs. Jackson’s attorney, L. Londell McMillan, who is representing her interests as the singer’s estate is sorted out.

But Jackson’s last known will, drafted in 2002, left his mother, along with his three children, out of any decision-making role in his estate, leaving her only as a beneficiary.

Attorney John Branca and Jackson’s former manager and close friend, John McClain, were named (along with a third party who has since removed himself) as the only people with the authority to guide his business matters after his death.

Mrs. Jackson is trying to change that, seeking to gain some kind of control over her late son’s estate. The Jackson matriarch is adamant that she — or even another family member — have a role over Michael Jackson’s business legacy, which may be worth more in death than when he was alive. Some estimates have valued his estate at $500 million.

Mrs. Jackson has filed a motion to determine whether contesting the two executors would lead to disinheritance — Jackson’s will had a no-contest clause.

“She is concerned about how the trust is going to be managed. She wants to make sure that she has a seat at the table and the family has a seat at the table,” said Dean Hansell, an attorney who spoke for Mrs. Jackson in court Monday. “She wants that, and she has been coming up against resistance.”

But in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Branca said he is amenable to having Mrs. Jackson, or someone in the family, in a trustee role.

Jackson’s devotion to his mother has been well-documented, and it was proved again after his death, as he named her in his will as his first choice to raise his three children and also named her and his kids as the only individuals to inherit his fortune (he also left a portion of his wealth to charity).

Katherine Jackson has not been known for her business acumen. It was Joe Jackson who was the manager of his sons as the Jackson 5 and acted as the manager for all of his nine children into their adult years.

But Manning claims it was Katherine, not Joe, who gave Michael Jackson his business sense, which he described as shrewd and fair.

Jackson named his mother on at least two trusts — besides the Sony- ATV music catalog, she’s a part of his Mijac publishing company — and McMillan said she was active in Jackson’s business affairs, even attending depositions in legal cases.