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LONDON, June 14: Fans, family and friends have reacted with relief to news that singer Michael Jackson was cleared of all charges.
Following are some quotes from show business friends, relatives, fans, lawyers and celebrity pundits, gathered from a variety of sources.
ACTRESS AND FRIEND ELIZABETH TAYLOR
“Thank God Michael is vindicated for all time. Now maybe people will leave him alone.”
LIAM CASSIDY OF A UK-BASED JACKSON FAN CLUB
“This is a vindication for Michael but also a vindication for the fans who have stood by him. It’s amazing, it’s great news. From the very start we have said nothing but that the whole thing, the trial, the allegations, everything about it was a farce. It was completely untrue.”
BRITISH PUBLICIST MAX CLIFFORD
“Although he still has a huge fan base a lot of people are not happy with what emerged from the trial. It’s going to be an uphill struggle for him to get back to anything like the popularity he enjoyed in the past.”
DJ AND MUSIC HISTORIAN PAUL GAMBACCINI
“This man has been in decline, psychologically and physically, for over a decade. We don’t want to see a Judy Garland,” he said, referring to the Hollywood actress who struggled with addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol in her later years. “We could see a Judy Garland.”
FRIEND URI GELLER
“My relief is immense. He went though hell. The ordeal is over, he is back home with his friends and family. Millions of fans around the world are cheering. I always believed in his innocence. I felt responsible indirectly because I introduced (documentary maker) Martin Bashir to Michael Jackson. Both Michael and I felt that he betrayed us.”
RIGHTS ACTIVIST JESSE JACKSON
He called the trial “an excruciating process” and said the star had been “tried and convicted in the newsroom”. But he added: “Michael must assess the implications of the conduct that got him into trouble.”
PROSECUTOR TOM SNEDDON
“We did the right thing for the right reasons,” he told a news conference after the verdict, defending his decision to charge Jackson. “My past history with Mr. Jackson had absolutely, unequivocally nothing to do with the present case.” —Reuters
