Wealth behind the Neverland fantasy

MICHAEL JACKSON’S tendency to indulge his wildest fantasies put his finances under serious strain.

As the undisputed King of Pop, and probably the most famous man in the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he amassed a fortune thanks to the huge success of his records and commercial tie-ups with the likes of Pepsi.

But despite being the singer behind the biggest-selling album of all time, the 1982 hit Thriller which sold more than 100 million copies around the globe, Jackson’s spending habits caused him serious problems.