The `Thriller` singer - who died from acute Propofol intoxication in June 2009 - was famed for his eccentric lifestyle, which included turning his home into a theme park and befriending a monkey named Bubbles, but his brother Jermaine insists here was nothing strange about his behaviour.
He said: "Animals are loving - what`s a difference between a dog and a monkey? I raised a tiger, I raised a mountain lion. For my 17th birthday I had a snake, Michael had the rats. People love animals, people live on farms.
"It`s not really eccentric. I lived near Dean Martin once when he was alive and he had a bear in a cage. There are people who love animals - that`s what zoos are for.
"Michael loved the story `Jungle Book` and if you able to achieve these things then you would because it`s the closest thing you can be to God. These are God`s animals."
Jermaine also defended Michael`s decision to wear masks when he was out and covering up the faces of his three children with veils.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live`s Richard Bacon: "People talk about the masks and him having the veils on his children. His success was so tremendous that he didn`t want to leave his kids at home but if he brought them out, he didn`t want to make a mockery of them by having their pictures splashed all over the newspapers and magazines.
"The mask was for germs. We were taught about germs from a very young age and he didn`t want to spread germs or take germs."
sections: Celebrities |
Russian News
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