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In an interview with Rolling Stone, the Celebration singer said that she had been immediately impressed by the late star's talent.
"I was madly in love with him, totally smitten. He was mind-bogglingly talented," she stated. "The songs he sang were not childlike at all."
The pair were introduced for the first time in the early '80s by Madonna's then-manager Freddy DeMann. The 51-year-old described their meeting at a party in New York as "a thrill", despite Jackson's initial shyness.
Asked if she is jealous of the 'Thriller' musician's career, she replied: "In a good way. I'd wished I'd written 'Billie Jean' and 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin''. What song didn't I love?"
Madonna paid tribute to Jackson at the MTV Video Music Awards last month, calling him "one of the greatest talents the world has ever known".
> Michael Jackson: 'Madonna's not nice'
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