John McClain, the co-executor of Michael Jackson's estate and a veteran music executive and producer,had been hospitalized for nearly a week after a fall at his Malibu home left him with a broken arm before he died Tuesday afternoon ... TMZ has learned.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... McClain was medevacked from Malibu to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries suffered in the fall over the last several days.
We're told he died Tuesday afternoon at the hospital from complications related to the fall. Our sources say McClain remained vibrant and creative right up until the end. We're told funeral arrangements have not yet been made.
5/27/2026 7:26 AM PT --John Branca, the Co-Executor of the Michael Jackson estate tells TMZ ... “I am profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and ‘brother’ John McClain. One of the great innovators in the world of music and music marketing, John was a visionary, seeing past the mundane and into the future."
He added, "When we were named in Michael’s will, I knew that he would bring great insight into Michael’s music and that his friendship and dedication to Michael would underscore all the great projects that we could bring to the world. He brought a passion and sense of conviction to all that he did and was the most generous of friends. It is difficult to imagine a world without him."
John McClain, the co-executor of Michael Jackson's estate and a veteran music executive and producer, has died ... TMZ has learned.
A rep for McClain tells TMZ ... John died Tuesday. Sources with direct knowledge tell us he had been sick for several years, though it's not yet clear whether that illness contributed to his death. We're told he passed in Malibu.
In addition to his role as co-executor of the MJ estate -- along with John Branca -- McClain produced hits for Michael, Janet Jackson, Ice Cube,and Dr. Dre.
Paris Jackson scored a massive win against the executors running her late father’s estate ... but she isn’t done with them yet ... and is now demanding they cough up another six-figure sum in interest ... TMZ has learned.
Last week, a Los Angeles judge sided with Paris when he ruled that $625K in bonuses paid to outside law firms that worked on the estate would have to be returned to the estate.
John Branca and John McClain, the two executors in charge of Michael Jackson’s estate since his death in 2009, argued the bonuses paid to the third-party law firms were normal for the music industry ... especially since the year the bonuses were paid, the estate locked down several big deals.
Michael Jackson and the woman who played his girlfriend in the "Thriller" music video could cut through their sexual tension with a knife when they were filming ... at least according to her.
Ola Ray, a former Playmate and music video vixen, sat down with TMZ's very own Charlie Neff ... recalling her interactions with MJ back in the 80s.
There's a part in the music video where Ola kisses Michael -- and she tells us about their flirty conversations leading up to the scene.
Nia Long is "quietly fighting" Lionsgate over a pay discrepancy for her role in "Michael" ... at least according to a new report.
According to Puck News, the actress had a "favored nations" clause in her contract that ensured she'd make as much as her costars ... but she reportedly learned Colman Domingo and Miles Teller had higher payouts than she did.
So, Nia's reportedly "threatening to take the studio to mediation" for allegedly shorting her salary.
Colman Domingo is making moves off-screen ... 'cause TMZ has learned he's sold his Los Angeles-area home for a couple million.
Sources familiar with the sale tell TMZ ... the deal closed Wednesday for $2,135,000. Domingo, who plays Joe Jackson in film "Michael," bought the 4-bedroom, 5-bathroom home back in October 2018.
The home, known as The Hofkin Residence, is a 1964 Mid-Century Modern. The gated single-story estate was recently featured in Architectural Digest.
Corey Feldman says he thought his time at the "Michael" premiere was gonna be a thriller ... but a miscommunication prevented him from rocking with other attendees all night.
Here's the deal ... tons of stars -- from Magic Johnson to Martin Lawrence to Tori Spelling and more -- stepped out for the Hollywood premiere on April 20. However, Feldman, a longtime friend and defender of MJ, was conspicuously absent from the event.
A rep for Feldman tells TMZ ... the actor did receive an invite to the "Michael" premiere about a month before it went down, but his manager -- in the midst of dealing with a personal issue -- thought Corey's attendance was confirmed when they actually had to reach out and get him put on the list.
BrookeShieldsis finally addressing Michael Jackson's new biopic ... though she didn't exactly give a deep review.
We caught up with Brooke outside Craig's in West Hollywood Monday night and she was asked whether she'd already seen the highly anticipated film, "Michael," about the late King of Pop.
Michael Jackson's pet chimp Bubbles is still living his best life at the Center for Great Apes ... but the sanctuary's had it with the internet running wild with the A.I.-created buzz tied to the late icon's biopic "Michael."
The Wauchula, Florida-based sanctuary released a statement obtained by TMZ on Tuesday ... saying those viral pics of MJ's nephew Jaafar Jackson hanging out with Bubbles are fake -- not real, never happened. They add Jaafar's never even visited ... though the invite's technically open.
The sanctuary made it crystal clear -- they're legit, accredited, and not in the business of turning their animals into meet-and-greets. No touching, no interactions ... their chimps and orangutans stay protected within secure habitats.
John Branca is all smiles over the "Michael" biopic -- especially when it comes to Miles Teller playing ... well, him.
We caught Branca in L.A. Monday and he couldn't stop hyping Miles -- calling him a great actor and basically gushing over his performance in the film, which Branca also produced.
Check the clip ... he also shows love to Jaafar Jackson, who steps into the King of Pop's shoes for the role.
Donnell Rawlingsis standing firmly in Michael Jackson’s corner ... telling us the filmmakers were right to reportedly spend millions reworking the upcoming biopic to remove references to abuse allegations.
Check out the clip ... we caught up with the comedian over the weekend and asked whether the reported $25M overhaulto reshoot the third act -- which featured sexual abuse allegations against the pop star -- was the right move ... and Donnell didn’t hesitate to give his POV.
He pointed to the fact Michael was acquitted in his 2005 criminal trial and said the allegations ultimately amounted to “speculation” ... adding the movie shouldn’t tarnish the King of Pop’s legacy by ending on accusations instead of his contributions to music and the world.
Donnell told us people should remember Michael for “healing the world” and being “the greatest performer that we’ve ever seen” ... making it crystal clear where he stands on the controversy.
James Safechuck -- one of Michael Jackson's sexual assault accusers -- says there's no way he's going to watch the new biopic about the King of Pop ... and he doesn't think it should have been produced in the first place.
A photog got Safechuck in Sherman Oaks over the weekend and asked him if he planned to go check out "Michael" on opening weekend ... and Safechuck gave an emphatic "no."
Safechuck says the movie shouldn't have gotten the green light ... he says he doesn't believe in supporting alleged child abusers.
He also reiterated his support for abuse survivors.
Michael Jackson's sexual assault accuser James Safechuck has a new message for childhood sexual abuse survivors ... and he's dropping it as a new "Michael" biopic hits theaters.
In the video, released by Safechuck's attorney, he says all the Hollywood hoopla can be triggering for survivors.
Safechuck says abusers are sometimes praised, even after alleged victims make public claims against them ... and he says survivors should know they're not alone.
As we’ve reported ... Safechuck and Wade Robson claim they were sexually abused by Michael as children, and they detailed their allegations in the HBO doc “Leaving Neverland.”
MJ was never convicted of any crime, and his companies continue to deny the allegations.
Beyoncé was seen blushing over Michael Jackson in a resurfaced video of the late pop star's secret reality show that ended up being scrapped, TMZ has learned.
Marc Schaffel, a longtime producer and friend of MJ, tells TMZ the footage was shot between 2000 and 2003. He is currently shopping the reality show footage to various streamers for a potential three-part docu-series.
The video of Beyoncé was shot in 2001 following September 11. The "Crazy in Love" singer recorded a charity single, put together by Michael, to raise money. The song was not promoted at the time, with many believing it was due to his feud with Sony.
The song was set to be released again in 2003, both in English and Spanish, and a music video was even shot. However, the song was pulled again due to Michael's legal issues.
The "Michael" stars chopped it up with Craig Melvin on "TODAY" and he asked them why the film end the story in 1988 ... many years before the first round of troubling allegations cropped up.
Colman says the biopic is all about Michael's rise -- told through MJ's eyes. It illustrates his roots, his influences, how he was raised, and how he searched for his voice as an artist.
Fabio Jackson is having a moment as the ultimate Michael Jackson lookalike ... and with the biopic buzz heating up, some fans are taking it way too seriously.
We caught up with Fabio and his wife in L.A. Monday ... who told us about a wild run-in when a woman came up to him -- thinking he was actually the real late icon -- proclaiming "I knew you weren't dead!"
It’s not a one-off -- Fabio tells us people genuinely do double takes all the time ... and his recent viral meet-up with Jaafar Jackson only added to the lookalike madness.
