Elton John once described Michael Jackson as deeply disturbing. The story behind that claim? Far more intense than most expected.

Elton John Talks About Michael Jackson(Photo Credit –Instagram)
Elton John didn’t sugarcoat it. In his brutally honest memoir Me, the music legend described Michael Jackson as “a disturbing person to be around” and explained exactly why he felt that way.

The comment came from a story buried deep in John’s 400-page autobiography, where he opened up about addiction, fame, and friendships that turned strange over time. One of the more startling moments involved a bizarre lunch at John’s home, where Jackson, invited as a last-minute guest, left an impression no one forgot (Via USA Today).

John wrote, “God knows what prescription drugs he was being pumped full of, but every time I saw him in his later years I came away thinking the poor guy had totally lost his marbles. I don’t mean that in a light-hearted way. He was genuinely mentally ill, a disturbing person to be around.”

When Elton John Found Michael Jackson Hiding and Couldn’t Shake the Image

It happened in the early ‘90s, just after Elton John got sober and began dating his now-husband David Furnish. Wanting to introduce Furnish to his close circle, John hosted an intimate lunch. One of the guests brought along Michael Jackson. What followed was, in John’s words, “even stranger” than expected.

Because of Jackson’s vitiligo, they had to sit indoors with curtains drawn. The pop star didn’t eat. At one point, he quietly wandered away from the table. Hours later, he was found in another part of the house—playing video games with the housekeeper’s 11-year-old son.

John recalled Jackson’s appearance in unsettling detail. “The poor guy looked awful, really frail and ill,” he wrote. “He was wearing makeup that looked like it had been applied by a maniac… (and) his nose was covered with a sticking plaster which kept what was left of it attached to his face.”

While John first knew Jackson when they were both rising stars, he believed something shifted over the years. Fame, isolation, and medication seemed to pull Jackson deeper into himself. And what had once been a warm, talented presence became someone Elton could no longer recognize.

Elton’s Me didn’t just dish out wild celeb stories, it ripped the curtain clean off. When it came to Michael Jackson, it wasn’t gossip. It was raw, messy, and hit way deeper than the headlines ever did.

And for Elton John, the truth wasn’t just strange. It was disturbing.