To the world, Michael Jackson was a musical genius. But behind closed doors, Jackson suffered from bouts of insomnia as he focused on conjuring enough energy to practice for his tour. Although Jackson's 3 a.m. phone calls to 'This Is It' choreographer Travis Payne may have been a warning sign, Payne told PopEater that he and director Kenny Ortega suffer from insomnia too, so they overlooked Jackson's symptoms. The seriousness of Jackson's health was made clear when the music icon died unexpectedly at age 50 from an acute intoxication of the anesthetic propofol, which allegedly helped him sleep.
Payne knew Jackson was taking pain killers, but he thought it was due to the pain he still suffered from his hair catching on fire during the 1984 Pepsi commercial. "The only thing we were aware of was the insomnia," he said.
Behind the scenes, Payne saw Jackson as a friend and dedicated father. The two met in 1993 when Payne became a dancer for his tour. Payne became his choreography partner soon after and then landed the role of associate director and choreographer for the planned 'This Is It' tour. Their friendship grew and Payne soon considered the 'Thriller' star a mentor who kept him grounded.
"He never accepted credit for his talent and achievements. He was in touch with a higher power and was a very spiritual man who always talked about God," Payne recalled. Jackson didn't even like to keep his awards. "He didn't want to live in the past. He was always looking for the future," Payne said.
Jackson was also a true humanitarian, who pushed his colleagues and friends to change the world. "He wanted each person to do just one thing each day to help the planet and challenge the world to make a change. Because he was a father and had three children, he wanted to do everything he could to make sure there was a safe environment for his children to grow up in," Payne recalled.
He was honored in the 2000 edition of the Guinness Book Of World Records for breaking the world record for the "Most Charities Supported By a Pop Star". It states that Jackson supported 39 charity organizations either with monetary donations through sponsorships of their projects or by participating in their silent auction. Some of the organizations he supported were Heal The World Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Even after the media put Jackson through the wringer during the child molestation allegation case, his friends saw a much more private individual -- who was a "pure and spiritual" and "not looking for acceptance from anyone," Payne told PopEater. "He was so misunderstood. He never wanted to make anybody feel bad, so often times he would just take the brunt of it and not retaliate," Payne said.
During his tough times, Jackson had strength to persevere though all the media scrutiny. Payne remembered questioning Jackson during this tough time. "Aren't you mad about this?" Payne asked him. Jackson shrugged his shoulders and said, "No. They just need more love," Payne recalled. "That was his answer to everything," he said - noting Jackson didn't want to waste his time with "negative energy."
Jackson's legacy will live on as 'This Is It' begins its two week movie engagement on Oct. 28. (Purchase Tickets.) The movie will show footage of the singer rehearsing for his planned London concerts, which never happened because of his sudden death on June 25.
"The world has mourned. Now it's time to celebrate his legacy and music in hopes of affecting some positive change," Payne said.
