Family, Fame And Fans

For 15 weeks, the Jackson family stood united. Jackson's parents, Katherine and Joe, were constantly at their son's side during his lengthy child molestation trial.

Shortly before deliberations began, Joe Jackson shared his inner-most thoughts and fears with international interviewer Daphne Barak.

Joe Jackson saw the case drain the life out of his son. The pop star, one of music's legendary icons, had suffered dramatic weight loss during the course of the trial.

"I don't know how much weight did he lose," said Joe Jackson. "But he lost too much. A father and mother know when their son has lost too much weight."

Twice last week, Jackson was rushed to the hospital, suffering from back pain. As his parents waited for the verdict, they feared their son could not face what his future held.

Joe Jackson said he was concerned about his son's state of mind, and he didn't want to leave him alone. "He shouldn't be at a time like this," said Joe Jackson. "This is a special time for me to be around as much as I can. He needs his family and his friends and his fans."

Joe Jackson says the stress from the trial was so great that three weeks ago, he feared that his son would harm himself. Joe Jackson would not go into detail except to say he ordered Neverland security guards on suicide watch: "I did tell security to make sure you stay and watch him pretty closely."

Joe Jackson steadfastly stands by his son, and he blames all of his son's legal woes on Martin Bashir, the British reporter who did the widely publicized and controversial documentary about the pop star

"If he hadn't done that interview with Bashir, he wouldn't be there now," said Joe Jackson. "That was the first time he ever did an interview like that so he was afraid of something like that all along. And it happened. It's all about the money."

Jackson can now rebuild his family life with his three children. "They're really nice kids," says Joe Jackson. "Michael has really raised, is really raising them properly and right."

Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe, whose testimony at the trial may have helped win Jackson an acquittal, may also be allowed to see her children for the first time in years.

But attorney and child advocate Gloria Allred says despite today's verdict, Jackson's children are still at risk of serious harm if they continue to live with him: "The children should immediately be removed from his care and custody, because the acts that were alleged in the criminal case, for the most part, took place in Neverland. That's where they've been living. That's their home."

But that may soon change. Joe Jackson says his son is seriously considering leaving the United States forever

"I hope he goes anyplace he feels he has peace and being treated fairly," said Joe Jackson. "It is his privilege to do that. And I mean any part of the world." With his acquittal, do not underestimate Michael Jackson's comeback potential, says Tamara Conniff, executive editor of Billboard magazine.

"If Michael chose to really crank it up a notch, and with the acquittal go back to market with a bang, the best way he could do that would be to just do a world tour, and show the world what he is made of," says Conniff.

While his star status may be tarnished, Michael Jackson is still one of the recording industry's biggest names. In the 10 years since his serious legal troubles began, record sales may have slowed down, but they're still incredible by any standards -- over 10 million copies, two million for his last record alone, according to Billboard magazine.

Joe Jackson says his son can do anything: "He can write songs. He can write hits on top of hits. He's a good producer, and above all that, he's got fans all over the world."

Even though sales in the United States have fallen, Jackson continues to enjoy platinum album status in Europe, including over a million sold in 2003. But it's going to be a long road back.

Jackson amassed his fortune through hard work, talent and shear determination. At 5, he and the Jackson Five took the country by storm. They played Ed Sullivan, and sold more records than anyone could count.

It was in 1979, with producer Quincy Jones at his side, that Michael, then 21, really broke out. "Off the Wall" made $37 million. In 1982, "Thriller" brought in $115 million.

Then, in 1986, Jackson bought the so-called Beatles catalog, the publishing rights to their songs, for $47 million. Ten years later, he sold half that catalog to Sony, for almost $100 million.

What is the Sony catalogue worth? Brett Pulley, senior editor at Forbes magazine, says it's worth "between $900 and a billion dollars." Jackson's 50 percent share is worth $450-500 million.

But Jackson's lavish spending habits, lawsuit settlements, and his inability to produce an album as big as his earlier hits, have forced him to borrow heavily against the Beatles catalog.

How much is he in debt? "Michael is in debt to the tune of $340 million," says Pulley, who adds that despite the debt, Jackson is still a very rich man. "If Michael were to go out and liquidate all of his assets, pay off all of his debt, he would still moonwalk away into the sunset with about $200 million."
But if Jackson decides to re-launch his career, the jury is still out on just how successful a comeback would be.

"I do not think we have seen the last of Michael Jackson," says Conniff. "I think that he has the ability with the acquittal to be a phoenix rising."

Fans stood outside the courthouse waiting for a brief glimpse of a defendant they defend with their hearts.

For four weeks, a CBS News producer lived alongside this group of diehard Jackson fans, recording public and private moments.

Maggie Defaria gave up a nursing job so she could come here whenever she needed to. Is it strange to feel this strongly about a man she barely knew? "No," says Defaria. "I don't feel strange at all."

Defaria believes listening to Jackson's music helped her during painful cancer treatments.

Duby Radburn says Jackson's songs helped her son Tony deal with muscle damage he suffered when he was born prematurely: "I would put all different kinds of music on. And I saw how he responded to Michael's music. And pretty soon his legs were kicking, and moving."

Today, Tony is 20 and he's not just walking, he's moon walking. And he's marching in lockstep with the rest of this crowd who feel they have to be here. "When I heard the allegations, and I saw the pain on his face, I said, 'I gotta go down there,'" says Tony.

Some days the fans were up as early as 4:30 a.m., waiting outside the courthouse. It has been 15 tough, tense weeks for these people who were always ready for the worst, but they said they never gave up hope for the best.