Michael Jackson Remembered: Wyclef Jean on the Man Who Left Him Speechless

Wyclef Jean

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My first meeting with Michael was when I was 22. Michael Jackson called me and said he was coming to see me — I was recording at the Hit Factory and he was working on an album and needed some music. He's the only person in my life where, when I saw him, my whole voice-box went. I didn't know what to say. My hands were trembling. He seemed a little shy, but very approachable. He talked about how he went to Jamaica when he was young and he said I reminded him of somebody there with the long hair. I was like, "Are you talking about Bob Marley?" And he was like, "Yeah!" He thought I was from Jamaica.

Rolling Stone's special commemorative Michael Jackson issue featuring tributes from Quincy Jones, Slash, Brooke Shields and more is available now.

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