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The King of Pop Michael Jackson was known for his unorthodox lifestyle. His lavish spending was allegedly portrayed in the controversial 2003 ITV documentary,Living with Michael Jackson. One of the clips from the documentary, where Jackson allegedly spent $5 million in just seconds, recently resurfaced on the internet.
Fans were shocked to see the spending spree of the musician in a Las Vegas antique shop. However, the singer claimed that most of the content of infamed journalist Martin Bashir’s documentary was exaggerated or manipulated. The spending habits of Jackson were undeniable though as he was allegedly in $500 million debt when he died in 2009.
Michael Jackson’s Spending Habit Could’ve Caused His $500 Million Debt
Michael Jackson had made millions from his career by the time of his death. In the ’80s and ’90s, he sold some of his best-selling albums which brought an enormous amount of money. However, he balanced out his millions in income with his lavish lifestyle.
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According toThe New York Times, he had spent a considerable amount of money on expensive art, jewelry, and private jets. Jackson’s penchant for antique pieces could be seen in one video clip, that recently resurfaced onInstagram. He was seen picking out expensive items at a Las Vegas shop, without any bother for their price. He could be heard saying in the video,“That’s only $275k each”.
The clip belonged toMartin Bashir’s controversial documentary,Living with Michael Jackson. It showed the singer spending $5 million at that particular shop in a matter of 45 seconds. Fans were blown away by this highly unorthodox lifestyle of the actor. While some fans expressed their amazement at Jackson’s carefree attitude towards money, others pointed out his millions in debt. Some of the fan reactions read:
“That’s only 275K each”
Michael: and these 👉🏽👆🏽👇🏽
work until you can spend like Michael Jackson 🤣🔥
Michael Jackson was $500 million in debt when he died, and this is exactly how I would like to die as well.
Owner saw him coming and threw a few zeros on every price tag
At the beginning if you look at the store owners face as well as him rubbing his hands together, he feels like he hit the jackpot with MJ in his store😅
According to Jackson’s creditor’s claims, the singer incurred more than $500 million in debt (via The New York Times). At the time of his death, he owed $40 million to the tour promoter A.E.G. Jackson’s millions of debt came from his Neverland Ranch estate in Southern California where he kept all his expensive buys. According to a forensic accountant, Jackson was paying $30 million in interest alone at the time of his death.
Michael Jackson’s Spending Spree In The Video Could Be Exaggerated
Journalist Martin Bashir conducted a long series of interviews over eight months for the documentary,Living with Michael Jackson. After the interview was broadcast on ITV and seen by millions, Jackson complained that the documentary portrayed him in a negative light. He claimed that many of the portions were either cut or were made to look like he was a bad person.
“The thought that he died at the hands of someone intentionally”: Ex-bodyguard Believes Michael Jackson Died Because of a Mistake But That Might Not be Intentional
Many fans believe that the clip of his spending spree was also fabricated (via Reddit). Jackson responded with a rebuttal interview, where he released clips shot by his personal cameraman where Bashir had a different stance about the pop singer. Thechild sexual abuse allegations against Jacksonwere a direct result of Bashir’s documentary.
According to Jackson’s former manager Dieter Wiesner, Bashir’s documentary deeply affected Jackson. He shared withThe Daily Telegraph,“It broke him. It killed him. He took a long time to die, but it started that night. Previously the drugs were a crutch, but after that they became a necessity.”
Jackson’s estate’s executors had shared in the court filing that they had eliminated the estate’s debt and cleared almost all of the creditor’s claims.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3017
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
