Michael Jackson Estate Blasts ABC Over ‘Last Days’ TV Special

Credit: ABC

Michael Jackson’s estate has voiced a series of concerns about a new television special on the last days of the King of Pop.

The estate claims ABC’s documentary, The Last Days of Michael Jackson, was made without its consent.

In a statement to the media Wednesday, a spokesperson for the estate blasted the network and its parent company Disney, calling the two-hour special an “attempt to exploit” the late singer’s life.

“We want consumers to know that The Last Days of Michael Jackson, a television special airing on ABC TV (a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) tomorrow May 24, is not sponsored or approved by the Estate of Michael Jackson,” the statement read.

“We believe this to be another crass and unauthorized attempt to exploit the life, music and image of Michael Jackson without respect for Michael’s legacy, intellectual property rights or his children,” the statement continued.

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The estate also accused ABC of using “a copyrighted photo and silhouette image” of Jackson to promote the documentary, but said the network pulled the materials after receiving complaints from Jackson’s attorneys.

ABC responded with its own statement.

“ABC News’ documentary explores the life, career and legacy of Michael Jackson, who remains of great interest to people worldwide,” an ABC News spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. “The program does not infringe on his estate’s rights, but as a courtesy, we removed a specific image from the promotional material.”

ABC has said The Last Days of Michael Jackson will include new information about the singer’s final days
before he died at age 50 on June 25, 2009.

The special is scheduled to air at 8pm on Thursday, May 24.