Jackson not bitter over 'freak' slurs

Michael Jackson has revealed that he does not feel bitter that people think he is a "freak".

The singer said he doesn't “pay attention to that” and still feels grateful to the fans who propelled him to fame.

He told Ebony magazine: "In my opinion, it's ignorance. It's usually not based on fact... Every neighbourhood has the guy who you don't see, so you gossip about him. You see those stories about him, there's the myth that he did this or he did that. People are crazy!"

Despite selling 750 million albums worldwide, Jackson admitted that his success can be tough, saying: "When you're on top of your game, when you're a pioneer, people come at you... But I feel grateful, all those record-breaking things, to the biggest albums, to those number ones, I still feel grateful."

But he believes he has hardly changed since releasing his seminal album Thriller 25 years ago, telling the magazine: "I just wanted to get certain things accomplished first. But I always had this tug in the back of my head, the things I wanted to do, to raise children, have children. I'm enjoying it very much."

It was recently reported that Jackson will lose his Neverland Ranch in 90 days if he fails to pay back a $23 million loan.