MICHAEL Jackson’s last bodyguard has revealed the hidden torment he says played a key role in the ‘King of Pop’s’ death at just 50.

Jackson, who would have been 66 today, had been “growing weaker” in the weeks before his death in 2009, according to Bill Whitfield.

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Well-known security professional Bill became Jackson’s bodyguard in December 2006, shortly after he was acquitted of shocking child sex abuse charges.

He said he had read stories about the case and had taken the job without being sure himself whether the allegations could be true.

Bill told The Sun: “He was sad a lot. Things were different, he’d just been through a few trials.

“Like everyone else, I had heard all those stories before I started working for him, so it’s very normal for me to go into the situation with questions.

“When you’re that close to someone, it would reveal itself if that was the situation.

“I paid close attention to him and his environment and how he interacted with his children and other people

“I never wanted to believe these kinds of things, but I paid extra attention because I didn’t know him until I started working for him.”

Bill eventually considered the star a “really good friend” and saw Jackson at some of his most vulnerable moments.

He stressed that the allegations had no merit, saying: “That was not who he was.”

Bill added: “There has been nothing that has come to light that has led me to believe or assume anything to the contrary.

“It wasn’t his character. You had to be with him to know him and I was there. So no, he wasn’t. And so it still surprises me when I hear things like that.

“I just think it’s a shame he wasn’t around long enough to tell his side of the story so people could get a better picture of him.

“He would never hurt a child. That was not the man I knew.

“He once said he would rather slit his wrist than hurt a child.

“So I know those allegations were painful for him. I can see that it changed him.”

Jackson became a star at a young age and was the center of attention for forty years, selling an impressive 500 million records during his career.

But he came under fire in 1993 when he was accused of sexually abusing a child.

He was definitely stressed. And stress kills.

The case was settled out of court, but in 2005 Jackson, a father of three, was tried on further incriminating charges of child sexual abuse.

The FBI found no evidence of criminal conduct and Jackson was acquitted.

The Man in the Mirror singer was shocked by the four-month lawsuit and decided not to return to his beloved ranch, Neverland.

And after his HIStory World Tour in 1997, Jackson had stepped back from major concerts.

But in March 2009, he set the world on fire by announcing a series of comeback concerts.

The This Is It residency was set to span 50 dates at London’s O2 Arena, from July 2009 to March 2010.

Jackson moved to LA, where he spent endless hours rehearsing. According to Bill, it took its toll on the star, especially after the public trial.

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He said: “Before the This Is It tour started, a lot had changed.

“There were more and more people in his life and it became hectic.

“I saw that he was a bit more fragile than usual, he was rehearsing a lot. I could tell that it was weighing on him.”

Just three weeks before Jackson was set to begin his highly anticipated, sold-out residency, he died of an overdose.

Bill says he has since wondered whether the Billie Jean singer was killed on purpose.

He said, “Do I think someone made a mistake? Yes.

“I’ve been trying to think about whether this was intentional.

“But the thought that he died deliberately by someone, that doesn’t weigh heavily on me.

“I’ve been asked many times, what do I think killed him. And I’ve told people, a lot of everything. And it involves a lot of us.

“There were so many people who not only wanted to be with him, but there were so many people who wanted something from him.

How did Michael Jackson die?

MICHAEL Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009 at 2:26 p.m.

The star was found in his bed by his personal physician Conrad Murray.

He had been rehearsing until after midnight in preparation for his comeback concerts at the O2 Arena and had not left his bedroom that morning.

Murray attempted to resuscitate Jackson for five to 10 minutes before calling emergency services.

They performed CPR on the singer for 42 minutes at his home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, before he was taken to hospital.

The ambulance arrived at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center at 1:14 p.m. and Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. after more than an hour of resuscitation attempts.

The day after Jackson’s death, a three-hour autopsy was performed at the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

It was determined that he died of a drug overdose, with propofol and lorazepam being the main substances.

Other drugs found in the pop star’s system included midazolam, diazepam, lidocaine and ephedrine.

The coroner ruled it was murder.

Murray was sentenced to four years in prison in November 2011 for involuntary manslaughter for giving Jackson propofol for two months to treat his insomnia prior to his tour.

He served two years of his sentence and was released in October 2013.

“And that can be overwhelming. He was definitely stressed. And stress kills.

“I’d like to think that he didn’t just die, he left. He left this place, this world, for a better place, because he would never get the peace that he needed in this life.”

Bill said he couldn’t believe it when he first got the phone call on June 25, 2009, telling him his boss was dead.

He added: “I was getting calls from people saying, ‘Did I hear?’ – I was asking, ‘Did I hear what?’

“They said Michael had died.

“And at first I didn’t believe it, because at one point we were driving in Virginia and it was announced on the radio that Michael Jackson had died.

“And he was sitting in the back of the car, and I was looking right at him.

“And I said, ‘Mr. Jackson, did you hear that? They said you were dead.’

“And he said, ‘Oh, I hear that all the time.

“When the situation turned out to be real, I didn’t believe it at first.”

MY FRIEND, MY BOSS

Bill described Jackson as “different” and said he considered the superstar a “really good friend.”

Bill added: “He trusted me, even with his most valuable asset: his children.

“Although I considered him my friend, he was still my boss.

“And he got on my nerves – anyone who had a boss or a supervisor, I’m sure they got on their nerves at some point. He definitely got on mine.

“Of course he went to the movies and he insisted on taking squirt butter and hot sauce to the movies.

“And there were times when we forgot, and then he didn’t want to go to the movies.

“That was very serious for him, I think, that he could enjoy a moment the way he wanted.

“He loved to go on long drives in the morning at three, four o’clock. And we’d just drive, whether it was up and down Las Vegas Boulevard or wherever we were in the country.

“He just wanted to ride and enjoy the outside world, without rushing.

“I know he was struggling with something or going through something, and he would often go on long drives to sort out his thoughts together.”

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