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Michael Jackson's manager delivers news, children's heartbreak

Jun 28, 2009, 12:04 GMT

(FILE) A file photo shows items belonging to US pop star Michael Jackson on display in Los Angeles , California, DilLeo spoke with the three children and Jackson\'s mother, Katherine, at the UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles, where Jackson was pronounced dead after ingesting a lethal mix of prescription drugs. EPA/PAUL BUCK

Michael Jackson's manager has revealed the heartbreak of telling the star's children of his death.

Frank DiLeo said speaking to sons Prince Michael, 12, and Prince Michael II, seven, and daughter Paris, 13, after the pop star's passing on Thursday (25.06.09) was the "most painful moment" of his life.

DilLeo spoke with the three children and Jackson's mother, Katherine, at the UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles, where Jackson was pronounced dead after ingesting a lethal mix of prescription drugs.

He said how he told them: "I'm sorry children, your father has passed away."

He added that Paris screamed: " 'No, no, Daddy. No, no!'"

DiLeo added: "It was the single most painful moment of my life. I cannot tell you how difficult it was. Those children just fell to pieces. The emotions poured forth.

"Michael's mother Katherine was with them. They were waiting there together for news. I think she feared the worst, but the children had no idea their whole world had ended.

"Whatever anyone thought of Michael, he was loved by those children, truly loved."

Since Jackson's there is expected to be a custody battle for the children, with Katherine, 79, the children's nanny, Grace Rwaramba and biological mother of the eldest two children, Debbie Rowe all likely to seek for custody. The children are presently in the care of Katherine.

Yesterday (27.06.09) Grace ? who worked for Jackson for 17 years and has been nanny to the children for 15 ? broke her silence for the first time to tell of her life working for the pop star.

She claimed she regularly had to pump the pop legend's stomach to prevent him from fatally overdosing and said he wasn't capable of looking after himself properly, let alone his children.

Although she was fired by Jackson two months ago, Grace said this was a regular occurrence and that she had been begged many times to return to the children.

She told interviewer Daphne Barak: "These poor babies. I was getting phone calls that they were being neglected. Nobody was cleaning the rooms because Michael didn't pay the housekeeper.

"I was getting calls telling me Michael was in such a bad shape. He wasn't clean. He hadn't shaved. He wasn't eating well. I used to do all this for him and they were trying to get me to go back."

She also said she hated masks the children were forced to wear to hide their faces in public, and purposefully tried to misplace them so they didn't have to wear them.

Grace added: "They didn't like them. It wasn't my idea. I hated it as well. So whenever I had a chance I misplaced the masks or 'forgot' to pack them.

"Michael always got angry. But what was most shocking to me is that the children don't even have a teacher. They can't play with other children and don't have a teacher to help them learn about the world."