Experts in the field of private protection, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard served for two and a half years as the personal security team for Michael Jackson and have worked with numerous other high-profile clients, including Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Alicia Keys, and Shaquille O’Neal. (Amazon, 2024)

Coauthor Tanner Colby is the author of the New York Times bestseller “The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in The Acts,” “Belushi: A Biography,” and “Some of My Best Friends Are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America,” which was nominated for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction by the American Library Association. He is also a frequent contributor to Slate magazine.

Their book “Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days” is the story of a man struggling to live a normal life under extraordinary circumstances and the story of a father fighting to protect and provide for his children. It dismantles the tabloid myths once and for all to give Michael Jackson back his humanity.

“Remember the Time” – Hounded by the tabloid media, driven from his self-made sanctuary at Neverland, Michael Jackson spent his final years moving from city to city, living with his three children in virtual seclusion, a futile attempt to escape a world that wouldn’t leave him alone. During that time, Bill Whitfield, a former cop and veteran of the security profession, and Javon Beard, a brash, untested rookie, both single fathers themselves, served as the singer’s personal security team

Stationed at his side nearly 24/7, their job was to see and hear everything that transpired, and to keep everyone else out, making them the only two men who know what 60 million fans around the world still want to know: What really happened to the King of Pop?

Driven by a desire to show the world who Michael Jackson truly was, Whitfield and Beard have produced the only definitive, first-person account of Michael Jackson’s last years: the extreme measures necessary to protect Jackson and his family, the simple moments of happiness they managed to share in a time of great stress, the special relationship Jackson shared with his fans, and the tragic events that culminated in the singer’s ill-fated comeback, This Is It. The truth is far more compelling than anything you’ve yet heard.

It is divided as follows:

Prologue
Part One: Can We Go Back to Neverland?
Part Two: Why Don’t They Just Leave Me Alone?
Part Three: This Is It

Review:
This book gives readers an intimate and compelling look into the last years of Michael Jackson’s life. It provides a unique perspective on the King of Pop, revealing the challenges and complexities of protecting such a high-profile figure.

Whitfield and Beard, who served as Jackson’s head of security and bodyguard respectively, deliver an insider’s view that humanizes the pop icon. Their accounts are filled with personal stories and reflections that paint a portrait of Jackson as a deeply private man struggling under intense public scrutiny. By exploring the logistical and emotional strains of safeguarding someone so constantly in the limelight it highlights the lengths to which they went to ensure Jackson’s safety and well-being.

Overall, while the book’s revelations are sometimes sensational, they offer valuable insights into Jackson’s final days and the pressures he faced. It’s a poignant read for fans and those interested in the complexities of celebrity life, providing a detailed understanding of Jackson beyond the headlines.

“Remember the Time” feels authentic, especially the heartfelt respect the authors clearly have for the late singer. An easy read, it is an important piece of pop-culture history and recommended for readers interested in knowing more about the late King of Pop, including the early years.

“Because all I felt was anger. That overtook everything else. I sat there with all these people getting up onstage and talking about what a great friend Michael was and how much he meant to them, and the only thing I could think was: Where were they?…Where were all these people when he needed them?” – Bill Whitfield

*The author received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.