‘Stop in the name of love!’: Diana Ross ALSO defends Michael Jackson in the wake of Leaving Neverland, saying the friend she knew for almost 40 years was ‘a magnificent incredible force to me and many others’
- Iconic songstress Diana Ross took to her Twitter on Saturday to show support Michael Jackson following fallout from the Leaving Neverland documentary
- Ross said: ‘I believe and trust that Michael Jackson was and is A magnificent incredible force to me and to many others. STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE’
- The legendary singer referenced her song with The Supremes in her homage to Jackson
- Ross and Jackson had been friends for nearly 40 years, starting when the singer was credited with discovering the Jackson 5 in the early 1970s
- The two would go on an work on a plethora of projects and Ross was even named as the next guardian of Jackson’s children after his mother in his will
- Her comments come after Barbara Streisand sparked backlash Saturday saying Jackson’s ‘sexual needs were his sexual needs’
Diana Ross took to Twitter on Saturday to defend her longtime friend Michael Jackson following fierce backlash surrounding the Leaving Neverland documentary, calling him a ‘magnificent force’.
The 74-year-old icon referenced her own song ‘Stop! In the Name of Love’ from her days with Motown’s The Supreme to show her support for her late pal.
‘This is what’s on my heart this morning,’ she said in the tweet that has since received more than 8,700 likes and 3,400 retweets.
‘I believe and trust that Michael Jackson was and is A magnificent incredible force to me and to many others. STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE.’
Iconic songstress Diana Ross took to her Twitter on Saturday to show support lMichael Jackson following fallout from the Leaving Neverland documentary
Ross said: ‘I believe and trust that Michael Jackson was and is A magnificent incredible force to me and to many others. STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE’
The musical diva didn’t engage with fans in the post, that drew a mixed reaction of both support and condemnation.
Ross did, however, post Stevie Wonder’s ‘Love’s In Need of Love Today’ just a few hours after her initial tweet.
The musical legends have had a long standing relationship, spanning almost four decades when Ross was credited with discovering The Jackson 5 in the 1970s.
When Jackson went solo in 1971, he did so while on the ‘Reach Out and Touch’ singer’s hit show special ‘Diana!’
The 74-year-old icon referenced her own song ‘Stop! In the Name of Love’ from her days with Motown’s The Supreme
The musical legends have had a long standing relationship, spanning almost four decades when Ross was credited with discovering The Jackson 5 in the 1970s. Jackson would even make his solo debut on Ross’s TV special in 1971 (right)
The two would go on and star in the cult classic hit ‘The Wiz’ in 1978 (Jackson far left and Ross center right)
The two would go on and star in the cult classic hit ‘The Wiz’ in 1978 and Ross eventually inducted The Jackson 5 into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Their longstanding friendship was so important to the King of Pop, that Ross was named as a backup guardian for Jackson’s three children in case Katherine Jackson couldn’t take care of them.
Ross’s staunch defense of Jackson comes after Barbara Streisand sparked an angry backlash Saturday saying Jackson’s ‘sexual needs were his sexual needs’ in a bizarre interview.
Ross’s staunch defense of Jackson comes after Barbara Streisand sparked an angry backlash Saturday saying Jackson’s ‘sexual needs were his sexual needs’ in a bizarre interview
Streisand said she believed the claims by now-adults Wade Robson and James Safechuck in the documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’ but that Jackson’s ‘sexual needs were his sexual needs’ In this January 24, file photo, Robson (left), Reed (center) and Safechuck (right) pose during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah where the documentary was released
The singer said she ‘feels nothing but sympathy for the men’ but still heaped blame on the boys’ parents for allowing themselves to be ‘seduced by fame and fantasy’.
In a statement to The Washington Post she said: ‘To be crystal clear, there is no situation or circumstance where it is OK for the innocence of children to be taken advantage of by anyone.
‘The stories these two young men shared were painful to hear, and I feel nothing but sympathy for them.’
Streisand initially stated that the men ‘were thrilled to be there’ as children and whatever happened to them ‘didn’t kill them’
She has since tweeted an apology saying she was ‘sorry for any pain or misunderstanding’ she may have caused.
Streisand had told British newspaper The Times of London that the two main subjects of documentary ‘Leaving Neverland,’ now-adults Wade Robson and James Safechuck, ‘were thrilled to be there’ as children and whatever happened to them ‘didn’t kill them’.
The recently released ‘Leaving Neverland’ documentary is about how Robson and Safechuck, now in their 30s, say Jackson, who died at age 50 in 2009, sexually abused them from the ages of seven and 10, respectively.