Elton John admitted Michael Jackson was 'a disturbing person to be around'

Elton John once shared his true feelings about Michael Jackson by branding him a

'disturbing person to be around'.

The British pop icon, 77, made the comment in his memoir, Me. He recalled his various interactions with Michael, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 50.

Elton described the King of Pop as 'mentally ill' and a 'disturbing person to be around'. He revealed he first encountered Jackson when he was child, alleging that the late singer was a very different person in his younger years.

Elton John opened up about meeting Michael Jackson. (Matt Crossick / Alamy Stock Photo)

"I'd known Michael since he was 13 or 14," Elton wrote back in 2019. "He was just the most adorable kid you could imagine. But at some point in the intervening years, he started sequestering himself away from the world and away from reality, the way Elvis Presley did."

The Tiny Dancer hitmaker went on to share his thoughts on what caused the change in Jackson's character, speculating that it was as a result of his prescription drugs use.

"God knows what was going on in his head, and 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 that the poor guy had totally lost his marbles," he continued.

"I don't mean that in the lighthearted way. He was genuinely mentally ill, a disturbing person to be around."

Elton's words about Jackson's alleged mental state come after the release of the series Leaving Neverland in 2019. A docu-series that revisited the sex abuse allegations made against the late singer.

On 25 June, 2009, Michael Jackson died at his Los Angeles home. (Kevork Djansezian-Pool/GettyImages)

Elton did not comment on the allegations specifically, but he did claim that he'd spotted a pattern in Jackson's behaviour, alleging that he appeared to prefer the company of children to adults.

He wrote: "For whatever reason, he couldn't seem to cope with adult company at all."

Elton's memoir was released in October 2019, 10 years after the passing of Jackson. On June 25 2009, Jackson died from cardiac arrest, caused by a propofol and benzodiazepine overdose.

His memorial, which was live streamed, was held on July 7 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, following by a private service for family at Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Hall of Liberty. The late singer's body was later entombed at the park, based in Glendale, California.

Jackson is survived by his three adult children, Prince, 27, Paris, 26, and Bigi, 22.