Jun 29, 2009, 11:03 GMT
A Bahraini royal who lived with Michael Jackson for a year has expressed his "sadness" at the singer's death.
Sheik Al Khalifa, the son of the Gulf emirate's king and an aspiring musician, befriended Jackson - who died last week after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest in his Los Angeles home - after the singer's trial for child molestation in 2005.
He invited the star to Bahrain and showered him with money and lavish gifts during his year-long stay.
But when Jackson left the country in 2006, Al Khalifa claimed the singer failed to complete a joint music venture and sued him for $7 million.
Jackson denied he had agreed to collaborate with the sheik and the pair settled out of court later that year.
By the time Jackson died, the sheik had not spoken to him for over two years.
He said in a statement: "The world has lost a giant in the music industry. We are all very saddened by that."
Jackson kept a low profile during his year in Bahrain, refusing to perform and spending most of his time with Al Khalifa.
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