Bodyguard praises 'caring' Jackson

Michael Jackson's former bodyguard Matt Fiddes has paid tribute to his former employer and friend.

Fiddes said that the pop legend, who passed away aged 50 at the UCLA Medical Centre last night, was the "most misunderstood man in the world".

"Everyone thought he was this weird freak but when you're with him he's as normal as everyone else," he told the BBC.

"I don't think he felt he was as famous as everyone else thought, he didn't know any different.

"He was a very caring guy who would go out of his way to help the sick. One night in London he wanted to see some homeless people. He sent them loads of pizzas in secret. The guy had a good heart."

He added: "We used to dress him up and sneak out of hotel room and do normal things in shops. People wouldn't know who he was but we wanted to give him a taste of the real life."

Jackson was pronounced dead yesterday at 2.26pm local time (9.26pm GMT) after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest.