>> reporter: for the remainder othe summer season -- >> we are pretty much sold out. >> cnn special report, michael jackson, the the man in the mirror begins right now for you. >> what did he see when he sauz hi reflection? ♪ where there is love i'll be there ♪ >> when i first saw him, i was amazed at his talent. to be 10 years old, it was just incredible. >> from child prodigy to

cultural icon. >> this man was the greatest recording artist of our time. this man through his music actually like made a change in the world. ♪ >> the king of pop. ♪ you're fighting for your life ♪ >> michael had an unseen magic to influence people through music, culture, and music would not be what it is without michael jackson. ♪ >> the soundtrack of a generation. ♪ billie jean is not my lover >> michael jackson doesn't just come along once in a century or a lifetime. he only comes along once. >> all silent at age 50. >> my brother and legendry "king of pop" michael jackson passed away on thursday, june 25th, 2009 at 2:26 p.m. >> as his life was

controversial -- >> he raised the bar for image makeovers to a point where no one else wants to even come close to it. >> so is his death. >> this is something which i feared, and it is something which i warned about. where there is smoke, there is fire. this is a case of abuse of medications. >> millions in mourning. >> they are mourning in gary, indiana, too. michael's hometown. he was the seventh of nine children. flags at half staff. a memorial at his childhood home. his steelworker father, joe, turned five of his boys into a band, with 5-year-old michael out front. one of the first venues, the auditorium of roosevelt high.

here the jackson 5 won the talent contest and wowed the crowd. >> oh, it was just unbelievable because they were so young, but yet, they were so talented. they performed as if they had been performing for years. and we were so excited. >> from the high school auditorium to the big-time. media mogul suzanne de passe was there at the beginning. >> i was asked to come to see this group. >> de passe was just starting out at motown. working with founder berry gordy. >> i saw these kids and they were unbelievable. and i called mr. gordy, and i said, oh, i've just seen the most fantastic act. >> when she told me about another kids' group i said, wait a minute, i got all these other stars. >> i went back one more time. mustered up all my courage. and i said, mr. gordy, you just have to see these kids. >> suzanne depasse insisted that i meet with these kids and audition them. >> an audition seen in this video from a documentary

produced by michael jackson. >> they were sensations. they were tremendous. and the lead singer, michael, was just so incredible. and immediately, i was up all night trying to think of the type of song that would create excitement among people. >> motown gave the group a record deal. and the jacksons began their rocket rise to stardom. >> from the time that most kids were building tree houses, michael jackson was building an image. at the age of 10, he was told to say that he was 8. and michael was happy to play along with that because he understood at a very early age that image-making and public relations was very important. >> it worked. the jackson 5 exploded on the charts. their first three singles -- "i want you back," "abc," and "the love you save" -- all hit number one.

>> the sound was incredible. the weight, gravity, the way he would sing, then he would dance. you know, and his brothers are on stage with him. you couldn't stop them. ♪ >> but behind the image of a happy family and their rags-to-riches story, there was something else. incredibly hard work and a father who pushed his children. in 1993, jackson spoke about both in this interview with oprah winfrey. >> so he would tease you, make fun of you? >> yes. >> would he -- did he ever beat you? >> yes, he did. yes. >> and that was difficult to take, getting beaten and going on stage and performing? >> yes. >> and why would he beat you? >> because he saw me -- he wanted me to i guess maybe i don't know if i was his golden child or whatever it was. >> in a bbc interview, joe jackson admitted whipping michael with a switch or a belt but denied ever beating him.

beating, joe maintained, is something you do with a stick. success at such a cost left jackson with conflicted feelings for his father. >> on the one hand, he would always complain. my father didn't love me, he made me into a performance machine. he was too strict, he was too much of a disciplinarian. he made me rehearse too much. i would cry because i couldn't have a childhood. >> rabbi shmuley boteach was a friend and spiritual advisor to michael jackson. >> i said look at the flipside of that. because of that, you became a big performer. and maybe because you were not given enough love as a child, you wanted the world's love, so you worked really hard to become a big superstar. would you trade it in for a normal childhood and give up the celebrity? interestingly, he would say every time no, i wouldn't do that. >> jackson and his brothers would become preteen idols, appearing in commercials and on magazine covers. ♪ i love you so >> however jackson's teenage years were awkward. he suffered from bad acne and

was self-conscious of his appearance. >> he did say to me that he was once on an airplane and his father said to him, you know, your nose is nice or something like that, and generally he expressed to me that he was made to feel that he was ugly. that he was not pretty. and sadly, he really internalized that message. >> by 1975, the jackson 5 had made a highly publicized split from motown and michael jackson was ready to spread his wings. jackson would turn to quincy jones, then musical director for "the wiz," now a multi-grammy winning producer, arranger and composer. >> i said you know what? i'd like to take a shot at producing your record, and we started going, we started to get going, and the record company said no, quincy, it's too jazzy. he's not the person to do this. and so michael and his managers fought them and said quincy's doing the record. >> legendry music producer quincy jones would produce

jackson's first adult solo album 1979 "off the wall." the album was a smash with songs like "don't stop till you get enough" and "rock with you" reaching number one. ♪ don't stop till you get enough ♪ >> this is the greatest moment that disco has in its entire history. ♪ rock with you all night >> they are songs that still hold up today. they don't sound dated. i guess what none of us could have anticipated was the album that they would then produce after "off the wall." >> that album was 1982's "thriller," and it would catch fire when jackson unveiled an out-of-this-world dance move on a television special for motown's 25th anniversary. >> what a moment that was in pop culture history when he moonwalked across the stage there. >> so he's doing the moonwalk which when he first did it

nationally, it was like, wait, is gravity being like messed with here? >> special effects like what are we doing and within six months, every 10-year-old in dallas could do it. >> the transformation was complete. michael jackson was about to go from child pop star to the biggest star on the planet. when we continue, chimps, oxygen chambers, the elephant man's bones. michael jackson's bizarre behavior. if you think all batteries are the same, consider this:

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♪ because this is thriller thriller night and no one's going to save you from the beast about to strike ♪ in november 1982, 24-year-old michael jackson released "thriller." and with that historic piece of vinyl, a phenomenon was born. >> the record flew out of

stores. you know, it could not be stopped. >> from the iconic look to the moonwalk to the glove, the red jacket and with the zippers and glasses and the white socks. >> r&b superstar usher. >> if it wasn't music, it was obviously dance that influenced us. ♪ beat it beat it ♪ >> saying "beat it" to the competition, for 37 weeks the album sat at number one and is, to this day, the top-selling album in the world. "thriller" broke records with seven top ten singles and it also broke barriers. >> being the first black artist to ever have a video played on mtv was pivotal for all of us. there would be no other forum, honestly. there wouldn't be b.e.t. there wouldn't even be the mtv

that is now without michael jackson's influence. >> and, of course, it paid off for all of us. because i mean, the idea of mtv without michael jackson's videos from "thriller" is almost inconceivable. >> fan clubs, trading cards, michael jackson dolls. the craze reached a fever pitch in 1984 when a pepsi commercial gone awry sparked even more frenzy. when a pepsi commercial sparked more frenzy. >> he's on the set and he's descending a staircase. there's a flash behind him. and his hair catches on fire. the most incredible part of that whole thing was that on his being wheeled to the hospital, you know, he's waving to his fans with the glittery glove, you know, to the end a showman. >> one month later, jackson took home eight grammys. he also raised eyebrows with his red carpet companion, brooke shields and emmanuel lewis. >> i don't think anybody, even

like the iowa housewives, were saying, you know they're not sleeping together. and emmanuel lewis was right there as the underline like this is not sexual at all. >> in july 1984, the jackson 5 reunited in a flurry of publicity. but their victory tour reviews were mixed. ♪ we are the world we are the children ♪ >> months later, jackson partnered with lionel ritchie on an effort that was more warmly received. concerned about hunger in africa, ritchie and jackson wrote the song "we are the world" and assembled a supergroup of two dozen artists to perform it. >> now, one great thing that happened that we both had to realize, i can't read or write music and michael cannot read or write music. so, how do you write a song called "we are the world"? so we started listening to tracks.

we started -- this is where we started. >> it was a triumph for jackson. as a musician and as a humanitarian. despite the success of "we are the world" in the mid '80s, seemingly soft-spoken michael was retreating into a world all his own. >> michael had begun to exhibit a certain, i think, aloofness and a tendency to kind of withdraw from the world. >> michael, michael, michael! >> hysterical adulation does play tricks with your mind. so jackson was almost doomed to implode somewhat anyway. >> by 1985, the pop star began looking different. people were talking about his plastic surgery. >> every few months, you would see him and you'd go, whoa. you're looking weird, dude. but i think it was about '85, '86, it was like, wow.

he's not going to be able to get any weirder than this. then two years later i was like, i was wrong. >> family members came to jackson's defense. >> you know, you have to say to yourself, who hasn't? i mean, his -- >> yeah, but -- >> his whole thing is, if there's something that you feel that you want to change, and then you do that. there are many people in the past who have done many things to themselves and they're not talked about like my brother is. >> in 1986, a photograph of michael asleep in an anti-aging chamber rocked the tabloids. in 1987, his interest in the elephant man's bones, bubbles the chimp, liz taylor, and an array of strange disguises, set tongues wagging. >> he puts on that black thing. that mask. i said to him, take that stupid thing off! you look like a monkey. you look like you're insane.

and he said -- even then he said to me, well, it was more like he says a razzle-dazzle kind of thing. it's mysterious. >> he wanted to give the world the impression he was this mysterious, kind of enigmatic figure. his mistake is that he took it way too far so that he stopped being a curiosity and he started being a freak. ♪ >> jackson's follow-up to "thriller" hit stores in 1987. ♪ i'm bad i'm bad ♪ >> simply titled "bad." the pop star's eccentric behavior hardly deterred the album's record-breaking five number ones. spawning iconic music videos and a sold-out world tour, "bad" went on to sell 8 million copies and jackson went on to change his image once again. taking a cue from "bad's" title, he became a crotch-grabbing tough guy, a far cry from his

gentle off-stage persona. and yet the money kept rolling in. in march 1988, jackson finalized the purchase of a 2,600-acre ranch. the cost, $19 million. he filled the property with an amusement park, a private zoo, and dubbed the oasis "neverland." >> there's a reason it's called neverland valley, you know? his fixation on the "i won't grow up, i'm a lost boy, i'm peter pan." >> and with neverland came the children. >> michael began to sort of surround himself with young boys. and much to, i remember, the chagrin of people who were working for him. ♪ dangerous >> three years later, in the fall of 1991, "dangerous" was released. long-awaited, the buzz was big. as a result, its lead single "black or white" shot to number one. ♪ don't matter if you're black or white ♪ >> coincidentally, fans were

wondering about michael's much lighter skin tone, from black to white. why? jackson told oprah he suffered from a rare skin disease. >> if you believe the fact that he, you know -- that he has this congenital skin condition, and that's why he's so white, then fine. but a lot of people think that he has bleached his skin. with michael jackson, you never know what the truth is. coming up, scandal rocks the gates of neverland. ♪

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♪ what about us, girl by the early 1990s, michael jackson's new music, even fresh r&b hits like "remember the time," couldn't come close to the phenomenon he had created with "thriller." ♪ thriller >> nothing was the same after "thriller." it was his greatest blessing but i think also his biggest curse. >> even though jackson couldn't replace his earlier success, he never stopped innovating. record producer rodney jerkins worked with jackson. >> michael called me, he says, "why can't we create new sounds?" i was like, what do you mean? "someone created a drum, right? someone created a piano. why can't we create the next instrument?" this is a guy 40 years old who's

literally done everything that you can think of, but still hungry enough to say, i want to create an instrument. >> what does something like that do to you? >> challenges me creatively. >> despite his creativity, record sales dwindled as jackson's appearance grew stranger with whiter skin and a severely altered nose and chin. >> the fact that he has spent as much time as he has changing his face, changing his appearance, is the reminiscent of patients who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder, which is a condition where the patient looks at themselves in the mirror, they just hate what they see. >> jackson would become more reclusive, retreating into his neverland ranch. there he continued to surround himself with children in a make-believe paradise where he could relive his childhood. >> he repudiated the adult world. for him, it was a world of betrayal. >> but in 1993, disturbing

allegations surfaced concerning jackson's association with children. a 13-year-old boy filed a lawsuit accusing the singer of sexually molesting him. jackson vehemently denied the accusation on national tv. >> i ask all of you to wait and hear the truth before you label or condemn me. don't treat me like a criminal. because i am innocent. >> the case was eventually settled for nearly $20 million. and the suit was dropped in 1994. but jackson's reputation was seriously damaged. less than a year later, jackson made headlines again when he married lisa marie presley, the 26-year-old daughter of elvis. >> it was quite obvious to all of us from the beginning that was a sham, that it was a publicity stunt and it was just kind of disgusting and silly. even from the beginning when they're nervously holding hands

at mtv and he says, "nobody thought this would last." then he goes to kiss her. but she's clearly like, whoa, what are you doing? >> the marriage collapsed less than two years after the wedding. presley filed for divorce in 1996. on the day after his death, presley wrote on her blog that jackson always thought he'd die early like her father. as jackson's marriage began to crumble, so did his career. filled mostly with past hits and some new angry songs like "scream," 1995's "history: past present, and future" could not revive jackson's success in the studio. then in 1996, jackson sent shock waves around the world when it was announced he had married debbie rowe, his dermatologist's nurse. >> the thing about michael is he does what he wants, and he will find a way to get it. she offered to have a child for him. as unconventional as it is, if if you really look at it, it's sort of surrogate motherhood.

>> rowe gave birth to their son, prince michael jackson, in 1997. a year later, the couple had a baby daughter, paris michael katherine. and in 1999, they divorced. jackson was granted full custody of the children. in 2002, he incited worldwide outrage when he dangled his newborn son, prince michael ii, from a balcony of a berlin hotel. >> when he dangled the baby, it's just, here's michael again being the class clown who doesn't even realize he's the class clown. he thinks he's being loving. it's sort of like the anti-king midas. everything he wants to do just gets screwed up. >> just a year later, jackson was catapulted back into the limelight when he was featured in the martin bashir documentary "living with michael jackson." in that documentary, 44-year-old jackson admitted to letting children sleep with him in his bed at neverland but he insisted it wasn't sexual.

that all he did was tuck them in. author and self-proclaimed psychic uri geller was a friend of jackson's. he said he urged the singer to keep children out of his bedroom. >> i was the only person who had the chutzpah to scream at him and tell him this business of inviting children to his bedroom is wrong. and michael just stared at me. >> now you have this documentary years later with the intent of showing michael, the good father, michael the good person, michael, the normal person when, in fact, it did the exact opposite. it showed him to be quite abnormal. >> i said to michael, this is the last thing in the world you need. you're famous enough. you need credibility, but he didn't take my advice and did the documentary, which is one of the great mistakes of his life. >> that documentary triggered bombshell news that thrust the

faded pop star back into the spotlight. just nine months after the show aired, the 13-year-old cancer patient featured in the documentary accused jackson of sexual abuse. >> there will be charges filed against mr. jackson, multiple counts. >> the fact that he could even find himself in this situation after the '93 allegation shows that he didn't take that sufficiently to heart. because if he did, he never would have been alone with a child. >> although jackson denied the abuse allegations, he was arrested and charged with seven counts of child molestation. in 2005, michael jackson would go to trial and face perhaps the toughest six months of his life. every sunday, lasagna at mom's was a family tradition.

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back to michael jackson the man in the mirror in just a moment. first a look at what is happening right now. a south georgia man who killed 911 to report his family had been killed has been charged with ate counts of first-degree murder, 22-year-old guy heinze jr. is charged with killing six family members and two family friends last weekend. a 3-year-old injured in the savage attack continues to fight for his life. funerals were held today for seven of the victims. tim geithner is attending a meeting of the finance ministers from the growing countries. the world economy is stabilizing. >> we have brought the world economy from the abyss. you are starting to see the conditions for recovery. we don't yet have the conditions for a self-sustaining recovery led by private demand.

a final agreement on the huge bonuses awarded to bankers will not be ready until the g-7 summit. jacqui jeras has some weather for us. >> there is not a single airport delay across the count. >> love it. >> i know. that never happens. there are some trouble areas. that includes the sunshine state not looking that sunny. showers and thunderstorms have been heavy across south florida. the big bend area as well as into the panhandle become more widespread across alabama, montgomery, birmingham, jackson, mississippi. houston, san antonio and into corpus christi. in the southwest we have had heavy rain believe it or not in arizona.

wish we could get the rain in the fire areas. not going to happen today. the big picture is what you see is what you get. >> lots of good news for folks. >> join me back here in the newsroom at 10:00 p.m. eastern. right now "michael jackson, the man in the mirror" continues for you. january 16, 2004. it seemed like another classic michael jackson performance. surrounded by screaming fans. but this time, jackson's stage was the roof of an suv outside the santa barbara county courthouse. after nearly a decade of being suspected of child molestation, the king of pop was about to face the music.

>> i was trying my best to get him down. i knew it wouldn't look right. i knew it wasn't appropriate. >> ben brafman was one of jackson's attorneys. >> i recognized that, you know, this is michael jackson. he's a 12-year-old superstar with thousands of people shrieking and screaming. he's trying to not affect the legal proceedings in any way. i think he was responding to his fans by at least showing them his face. >> cnn's jeffrey toobin was in the courtroom. >> this was certainly the most bizarre criminal trial i ever saw. every day, michael jackson showed up in one of his captain crunch outfits. and he just didn't look like anyone else you'd ever met. >> michael jackson was officially charged with seven counts of child molestation and several other felonies. he pleaded not guilty. >> the criminal charges were not a total surprise because several years earlier, jackson had settled a civil claim against him by a boy under very similar circumstances.

>> but brafman says the superstar was terrified. >> we were alone in a room. it was the first time i really had an opportunity to be completely alone with him because in all other meetings, there were a whole entourage present, there were dozens of lawyers and bodyguards and assistants. without warning he just broke down and began to sob. and we were sitting very close and he actually collapsed on my shoulder. and he was sobbing. >> it would take a year before a jury was seated and the trial began. the circus surrounding the trial seemed more than jackson could bear. the superstar seemed to be fading in front of the world's eyes. >> he was emaciated. he didn't exchange words with his lawyers very often. and as the trial progressed, he got weaker and weaker, including that one bizarre day when he called in sick, and the judge

said, come in anyway. and jackson showed up in court in his pajamas. >> it was march 10, 2005, the second day of testimony by jackson's teenaged accuser. >> i feared for michael jackson. not that the trial was going to end badly but that something would happen to michael. when i saw that spectacle, i realized that my concerns about his frailty, about his physical issues, and emotional instability, were even more well-founded. >> it took a terrible toll. >> thomas mesereau was jackson's lead defense attorney. walking jackson into the courtroom nearly every day. >> michael jackson was the best client you could have in a courtroom. he was very humble. he was very down to earth, very decent and very quiet. and i think this trial and this entire case took a terrible toll on him emotionally and physically. >> were you worried that he might not make it? >> i was on occasion. sometimes he would call me at 3:00 in the morning crying,

terrified about what would happen to his children. on verdict day, he looked like death warmed over. it was just sad. his cheeks were sunken in, he could hardly smile. he looked horrible. >> it was june 13, 2005. after more than two months of testimony, 135 witnesses, and seven days of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict. followed by news helicopters and a convoy of cars, jackson rushed from neverland ranch to the courthouse. he was greeted by a crush of reporters and fans. it was the kind of attention and screams he was accustomed to. but his face was expressionless. >> the people of the state of california, plaintiff, versus michael joe jackson, defendant, not guilty of a lewd act upon a minor child. >> with each not guilty verdict, the crowd outside cheered. one woman even released a white

dove for each not guilty announcement. >> i just looked at him and hugged him and he just said, "thank you, thank you." he was very placid. he was very, very controlled. he sat there on a daily basis, watching accusations hurled at him suggesting that he was an insensitive monster. and i know that it tore him to pieces. he survived it with 14 acquittals. but was damage done to his soul, to his spirit, to his gentle, kind way of looking at the world? i suspect so. coming up, michael jackson, from riches to rags. if you think all batteries are the same, consider this:

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michael's innocent! michael's innocent! >> the very public trials of michael jackson eventually took their toll. >> i was really struck by the razor stubble, you know, all along his face. he hadn't shaved that morning. >> brian munroe sat down with michael jackson in september 2007 for "ebony" magazine. the interview would be jackson's last. >> the trial hurt him to the core. he felt betrayed. he felt almost abandoned. even though he was acquitted of the charges, a lot of people sort of paint him with that brush but realized he was found not guilty. >> jackson needed to put distance between him and the taint of neverland.

so off he went to the island nation of bahrain. >> michael jackson all but disappeared. there's a lot of mysterious phases of michael jackson's career but the last three are particularly mysterious. he moved to bahrain with his kids. then moved back. >> bahrain and back again. the king of pop was now a king in debt. a lavish lifestyle and legal woes led him into near financial ruin. >> after the trial, he had spent a lot of money on lawyers. and had very little coming in. he wasn't touring. he wasn't making new records. and he had this towering $270 million debt. >> and his beloved neverland was toxic asset number one. >> neverland, which cost him around $19 million in 1987, had a staff of about 150 at its peak. and all these carnival rides, exotic animals which required

full-time veterinary care, it cost him around $10 million to keep that up at its peak. >> $10 million a year he could no longer afford. so an auction of his most personal items seemed like the answer. from his sequined glove to a life-sized replica of darth vader made of legos, things ultimately michael would not give up. >> he backed out of the auction. so when you're selling your furniture to make money, it's like, yeah, it's not exactly a yard sale, but he definitely felt a dire need for cash. >> michael had another money-making trick up his sleeve. >> i was looking in an old "rolling stone" article from a few years ago and someone said, you'll really know that michael jackson is broke when he announces a big european tour. and that's what happened. >> i'll be performing the songs my fans want to hear. >> he also made sure to say that these are the final shows. >> this is it. i mean, this is really it.

this is the final curtain call. >> that's not really a comeback when it's your farewell. that was a very odd appearance, that he felt it necessary to say this is the good-bye. ♪ >> fans wanted their last good-bye. tickets sold out within hours. but some wondered whether he could pull off a strenuous 50-concert tour. >> wow, 50 dates? 50 dates at 50 years old? that's a lot of dates. and i was -- you know, and i kept saying, i just hope he gets a physical trainer, someone to really work him out. to make sure he's healthy and prepared. >> it's hard looking at the guy being pushed around in a wheelchair, looking so thin and fragile. it was just very difficult to imagine that this is a guy who's ready to come back and do an amazing series of 50 concerts and then more across the world, which was the plan.

it just didn't seem possible. ♪ the man in the mirror >> but jackson was born to perform, and the show must go on. ♪ no message could have been any clearer ♪ >> i think he spent a lot of internal time reflecting on who he was, where he had been. at the end he talked about his mortality. he said that no one wants to be mortal. we all want to be immortal. the only way that you become immortal is that your work lives on. >> jackson, in his last interview with "ebony." >> let's face it. i mean, who wants mortality? i mean, everybody wants immortality. you want what you create to live. be it sculpture, a painting, music, a composition, like michelangelo. i know the creator will go but his work survives. that is why to escape death, i attempt to bind my soul to my work. when we return, michael

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i need an ambulance as soon as possible. >> reporter: michael jackson had probably drawn his last breath by the time this 911 phone call was made from a rented home in the los angeles hills.

>> we have a gentleman here that needs help. and he's not breathing. he's not breathing and we need -- we're trying to pump him but he's not -- >> okay, okay. how old is he? >> he's 50 years old. >> 50, okay. he's unconscious, he's not breathing? >> yes, he's not breathing, sir. >> okay, he's not conscious either -- >> he's not conscious, sir. >> reporter: michael jackson, dead at the age of 50. >> he always appeared to either be in pain or walking with pain. and part of my concern about michael was the fact that he always seemed to be suffering from some form of ailment or infirmity. >> reporter: pain that dated back at least a quarter of a century. >> he went through a horrible accident filming a video. he was horribly burned. >> reporter: it was 1984 when

jackson was making this pepsi commercial and his hair caught fire. that was the start of the plastic surgery. and probably the painkillers. a decade later, jackson was so dependent on prescription drugs that he had to interrupt a world tour to go into a drug treatment program. >> my friends and doctors advise me to seek professional guidance in order to eliminate what has become an addiction. >> reporter: the shadow of drug abuse would follow him even into death. attorney brian oxman. >> i've talked to this family about it. i warned them. i said that michael is overmedicating and that i did not want to see this kind of a case develop. and in particular, in the anna nicole case, i said, if that's what's going to happen to michael, it's all going to break our hearts. and my worst fears are here.

physician deepak chopra said he knew he was taking prescription medications. >> i said michael you do not need these drugs. >> reporter: it is chopra's belief that prescription drug abuse was jackson's downfall. >> it was the thing that caused his cardiac arrest. >> reporter: on the last night of his life, jackson was rehearsing for his london show, due to open in just three weeks. >> he was so excited about this project. and so invested. and no one wanted it more than michael. and all you had to do was to look in his eyes and to know that was the truth. >> reporter: his long-time choreographer, kenny ortega, was at that last rehearsal as he had been each night for three months. >> it was awesome to watch him. it was not like watching a 50-year-old man returning to the stage. in fact, you know, there were nights where you looked up there and it was like he was timeless.

ageless. >> hold for applause, hold for applause, slow umbrella, fade out. >> reporter: on the very next morning, jackson was found unresponsive in his own bed. again, the 911 tape. >> while we're on our way, did anybody see him? >> yes, we have a personal doctor here with him, sir. >> you have a doctor there? >> yes, but he's not responding to anything. to no -- no -- he's not responding to the cpr or anything. >> reporter: a life and legend cut short. >> he was exceptional, artistic, and original. he gave the world his heart and soul through his music. >> that soul was huge. and for us to all pay attention

to this one being on this planet as much as we did, the light was truly shining bright. >> he had the charisma, the talent, the voice, everything it takes. you think about what the "it" factor is, that's what he had. >> he created what we'd never seen before. in visual. in music. you heard things from him that you've never heard before. >> michael had it all. he had the discipline at such a young age. originality. willing to try everything. a work ethic. all of it. >> reporter: for pop music superstar usher, it's the loss of a pioneer. >> he is everything to music. this man was a universal pop icon. no barrier stood before this man that he didn't challenge, that he didn't break down, that he didn't tear down. that right there, that will never be replaced. i'm going to miss him.

i'm going to miss him so much. >> reporter: from his fans, an outpouring of love, grief, and fond remembrance. >> nobody like it anywhere in the world. a lot of people from the mideast love michael jackson. >> we love you, michael. >> love you, mike! >> someone asked you to sing a tribute to michael jackson at a service or whatever, what do you think he'd sing? >> oh, in tribute to him -- how i feel about him, i would probably sing "never can say good-bye." >> can you sing it a bit please? ♪ never can say good-bye, no, no, no i never can say good-bye ♪ because i won't. ♪ never can say good-bye, no,

no, no i never can say good-bye ♪ >> larry: tonight -- chris brown exclusive. do you remember doing it? >> no. >> larry: the singer talks for the only time on tv. >> it's crazy. >> larry: about why he hit rihanna. >> you lose your temper in the heat of the argument or whatever the case may be -- >> larry: why he pled guilty to felony assault. about the infamous photo. >> i didn't know if they were real. >> larry: and his feelings for rihanna today? >> do you love her? >> definitely. >> larry: in love with her?

a chris brown exclusive, right now next on "larry king live." >> larry: good evening. with us tonight on "larry king live" are chris brown, his mother joyce hopkins and his attorney mark geragos. chris entered a guilty plea on june 22nd that allowed him to avoid jail time after a widely publicized incident with his girlfriend rihanna. a second felony charge making criminal threats was dropped. and chris was sentenced to five years probation, six months' community labor. we thank you all for coming. how are you doing? >> good, thank you. >> larry: this had to be the worst period of your life? >> possibly. >> larry: possibly. are things calm for you now, are

you into it? >> it's more of a relief that everything is all said and done as far as what i have to do, what's going on. it's no more media frenzy. for them to blow out of proportion. >> larry: so you're glad it's over? >> yeah. >> larry: what did you plead -- explain quickly, mark, what he pled guilty to. >> assault, basically is what it is. felony assault charge. five years' probation, what the judge calls community labor, and he has to undergo a domestic violence program for one year. >> larry: and five years means you've got to be -- >> walk straight and narrow for five years. and as judge schnegg said in court yesterday, she's a tough task master but she's fair. >> larry: we're taping this a week before it airs but that was yesterday. before we get into the meat of everything, chris, how have you handled everything, joyce?

>> it's probably the most painful time of my entire life. it's been hard. really hard. seeing him go through the pain and everything he's gone through, dealing with the media and dealing with the situation. it's been really hard. >> larry: plus all the pain you've had in your life, which we'll get to later. the labor-oriented service, what does that mean you have to do, chris, this is back in virginia, right? >> yeah, back in virginia. >> larry: what do you have to do? >> i think they want me to do anything from picking up trash on the streets, washing cars. graffiti removal, anything. i'm going to do whatever. >> larry: is it fair? >> to me, possibly, everything comes -- everything comes with consequences. so i feel like, definitely it is. and i have no misjudgment on what the judge has given me. so i am willing to do anything. >> larry: so you feel it's fair? >> yes. >> larry: the judge was very specific. she wanted labor involved in the

punishment. what did that mean to you when she said that? hard work? >> hard work, yes, definitely. and i'm a very hard worker, so that's kind of -- i wouldn't say second nature, but definitely something i'm willing to do. as far as the actual, what i have to do, myself, personally, that as far as not saying as a celebrity, i don't exclude myself and try to become like a celebrity so i shouldn't be punished. but i feel like what i'm capable of doing, as far as influencing people, influencing kids, the youth, i can do a lot more to help the community other than picking up trash. i'm not saying picking up trash is wrong, i'm willing to do it. i'm just saying, i know i can do a lot more, which i intend to do aside from my community. >> larry: the sentencing judge, as i understand it, has not lifted the protection order that the judge imposed against you in connection with rihanna. you can't be with her?

>> no, i can't communicate. >> larry: do you think that's fair? >> it's kind of hard, definitely, her being my friend for so long. and being that close of a friend, it's kind of like, wow, not being able to see or talk to that person is kind of difficult. but it's also hard because we're both in the same industry. we go to the same events. >> larry: that you can, do right? >> yes. >> larry: but you can't go together? >> not at all. we have to be like 10 yards away from each other. i just feel like it's harder because we're always in the same setting. and because we have the protection order, it leaves more room for error. it leaves more room for people to start rumors. like oh, they're together. and it just leaves more room for problems. >> larry: you have to be real careful, right? >> more than careful. there was an incident, supposed incident in new york, where the two of them unbeknownst to each other because they don't talk to each other, are rumored to be same hotel. before we even verified it, i just tell him, move. i kiddingly joked that we almost

have to put gps chips in to figure out where the other one is. >> lindsay: how well do you know rihanna, joyce? >> larry: how long have you known rihanna, joyce? >> four or five years. >> larry: do you like her? >> yeah. >> larry: when the incident happened, how did it hit you? >> i was devastated, really upset about the situation. i feel really bad about the whole situation. >> larry: were you shocked? >> very shocked. >> larry: during the sentences, the judge said she was not immune with the chatter on the air waves about meetings between you and rihanna. obviously, that upset her, right? you understand that part? >> yeah, i understand that part. the media, not saying this media, but the media as far as the immature media -- >> immature media. >> immature media. i feel like it's high school sometimes. they don't mind their business. i feel like they spun a lot of stuff out of control as far as with the judge.

everybody reads blogs, everybody reads stuff like that. it's easy to influence whenever there's something that's stated like that happened. >> larry: but what happened happened? >> yeah. >> larry: you were involved with what happened so you have to accept the consequences. >> the difference in this case, and i've been through a number of cases where there was media attention. the difference in this case is the aftermath of the incident, where there was repeatedly just false stuff that would be printed. and major newspapers would put out they spent the weekend together there, or the weekend there. which was false. at one point, they said they spent the night together in a location. she wasn't even in the country. >> larry: when is the last time you had contact with her? >> it's been a couple months. that's when the actual stay away order was in effect. from there, we haven't had contact at all. >> larry: do you love her? >> definitely. >> larry: in love with her? >> definitely. >> larry: would you spend a lifetime with her?

>> would i spend a life time. well, i'm young. i'm only 20. >> larry: let's say, can you conceive of that, down the road? >> yeah. >> larry: we'll be right back with chris brown. joy hawkins and mark geragos. ♪ the $9 grand entrance. walmart announces op tops for just nine dollars each. back to school costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart.

brown has been accused in an attack against a woman identified by sources close to the couple as rihanna. authorities believe an argument between brown and a woman turned physical, with the woman suffering visible injuries. brown was arrested and leased on $50,000 bail.

neither he nor his lawyer nor rihanna have commented. >> larry: we're back with chris brown and his mother joyce, and his attorney mark. okay, we'll show it now and then get through it an get to the whole story of what happened. here's the photo of rihanna's face after the february 8th altercation. it has been seen around the world many times. when did you first see it? >> i first saw it, i think, maybe a week after that incident, i think. somebody posted it. i first saw it. >> larry: what did you think? >> i didn't know what to think at the time? i was like, what? because at the time i just didn't know honestly what to think. i didn't know if the pictures were altered. i didn't know if they were real. i didn't know what. i was like, man, i just felt so disappointed in myself. >> larry: once you accepted the fact that you caused it -- >> that i caused it, yeah. >> larry: when you look at it six months later, do you have a different reaction? >> when i look at it now, it's just like, wow, i can't believe

that actually happened. it's really like took a toll on me. i just went wow. >> larry: how did you react, mom? >> when i saw it, i was really hurt. and i didn't know if it was altered either. but it really bothered me. i really care about her and my son. >> larry: and you had violence in your own life, right? which that could have probably led to some of this? are you okay? you had it pretty rough, right, chris, growing up? >> for the most part, my mom and my dad, my actual biological father took care of me good. but as far as growing up and growing up in a domestic violence situation as far as with my mom and her ex-husband, there'd be times i'd be scared to go to bed. >> larry: this was her husband or boyfriend? >> this was her husband and boyfriend at the time. >> so you saw a lot of violence?

>> it depends. i would hear it. i didn't see it all the time. i might have on one or would -- two occasions. >> larry: how old were you? >> 7 or 8. >> larry: were you scared? >> yeah, very much. i didn't want him to even come to the house. >> larry: do you feel any guilt at all, joyce? do you say to yourself, maybe i should have left? >> yeah. i did leave eventually because of him. >> larry: and that's a common thing, isn't it, mark? >> yeah. they talk about the cycle of violence. i've handled these types of cases for years. you tend to see -- it's almost surprising. in some cases i represent three generations of people who have been charged with these crimes. >> larry: joyce, i'm not a counselor, but it's not your fault. >> you know, this has been especially tough on joyce. and i think one of the things that's been really hard for chris has been the toll it's

taken on his mom and rihanna, the two women that he loves most in his life. >> larry: have you spoken to rihanna, joyce? >> yes. >> larry: are you okay with her? let's go back. you're driving home from a pre-grammy party. you're dating, she loves you. what happened? >> i don't feel like it's appropriate for me to speak on what actually happened that night just out of respect for rihanna and myself. and out of respect for our privacy more. i don't want to go into that. >> larry: can you tell us from your point of view what happened? i mean, what caused this. you don't have to be specific, but you can tell me what -- had you done this before? >> i'm sorry, i mean, i don't really want to talk about what went on. i feel like i owe it to her not to talk about that. >> larry: mark? >> one of the things interesting

about chris, when i first met him, he wanted to take responsibility immediately. he did not want to deny this. that's not usual in my line of work. usually, you can have a client who they've got a videotape of the guy running out of the house with the weapon in his hands. and you know, he's denying it the whole time. chris was completely different in that. he came in, he was forthright. he felt guilty. he felt a great deal of remorse. he wanted to reach out. he wanted to apologize. frankly, it was the fact i told him, frankly, you can't, let me work this out and we'll deal with it. and there will come a time when you can talk about it. let me go back to what i said before, he felt absolutely awful. he kept saying, i want to talk to rihanna, i want to apologize. i don't want this to happen ever again. and i want to make it up to my mom. you can see from joyce's reaction today, it's still an open sore. >> larry: was drinking involved? >> i don't want to discuss what went on.

or what was done that night. >> larry: you leave us in a weird position here. the affidavit says that you tried to force her out of the car. you must have some memories of the night. this could help people who might be in the same kind of position. >> yeah. but i feel like as far as for her privacy, and i respect her enough and respect her privacy as well as mine, not to let people know what went on. >> larry: why do you think you were violent? >> i don't know -- >> larry: why do you think, without telling me what you said, she said. i understand it's your privacy. you don't have to say it. what do you think caused you to be violent? i mean, you have to think about it. we all think about ourselves. why did i lose my temper? why did i get angry over this? >> relationships. to say, it's okay, in relationships in general. there's a chance where you lose your temper, argument in the heat, whatever the case may be.

but i just say to myself -- i'm not saying domestic violence is part of a relationship. i feel just like -- we're young. we're both young. nobody taught us how to love one another. nobody taught us the book on how to control our emotions or anger. so it's like -- i'm not trying to fall on the fact that i'm young. i'm just saying there's a lot of stuff i wish i could have changed that night. >> one of the reasons, too, i think, that the judge is ordering him to counsel, and one of the reasons it's a requirement that it be one year in california and a lot of other states, it's a complex issue. it's something. there's learned reaction. there's impulse control. there's all kinds of things that go into it. and one of the things that i think the judge and the d.a. wanted is that you get into counseling. that you grapple with these issues. and you learn it. and you go through it. and try and figure it out for

yourself. he's done a lot of introspection, but i don't think he or anybody else gets to a point where you say, okay, now, i understand completely. i think you have to go through the process. >> larry: he may never understand? >> he may never understand. people have been in therapy on issues like this for decades. >> larry: we'll ask about the charges being pressed after this. hi, may i help you? yes, i hear progressive has lots of discounts on car insurance. can i get in on that? are you a safe driver? yes. discount! do you own a home?

yes. discount! are you going to buy online? yes! discount! isn't getting discounts great? yes! there's no discount for agreeing with me. yeah, i got carried away. happens to me all the time. helping you save money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. >> larry: we're back with chris brown, his mother joyce hawkins, his attorney mark geragos. when you hear about all the things the police in the report say that you did, how do you react to that? >> i look at it like, wow, i'm in shock. first of all, that's not who i am as a person and that's not who i pride myself on being. when i hear about the police reports, i don't know what to think. i just don't know what to think. it's just like, wow. >> larry: do you remember doing it? >> no.

>> larry: you don't remember doing it? >> i don't -- it's crazy. i was like, wow. >> larry: what did he say to you, joyce, when this happened, the first time that you spoke to your son? >> he came and he actually spoke to me about what happened. and i was totally shocked. totally upset about the whole situation. i know that chris has never, ever been a violent person. i mean, ever. i mean, throughout the entire time that high school, i've never been called or -- >> larry: never. >> never. >> larry: weren't there some previous charges with rihanna? weren't there some altercations in the past? >> no charges, no. >> larry: so when you look at this, do you feel like you're looking at someone else? >> yeah, from the outside looking in. when you see on tv, when they say this and that -- >> larry: you punched her a number of times. you threatened to beat the blank out of her when you got home. also, you said you were going to kill her. you bit her on the ear. hearing all that, obviously,

this has been disparaging, you have a lawyer here. you don't feel like a violent person at all, right? >> yeah. >> larry: you appear rather calm. rather nice. so what happened to you, do you think? >> if i had to say, i guess that night, i wish i could just take it back. and i really regret and i feel totally ashamed of what i did. >> larry: it never happened before? >> no. >> larry: how did rihanna react to all of this? >> i don't know. >> larry: what did she say to you? >> we talked briefly after. but i don't really want to go into -- i don't want -- because like i said before, because of her personal -- and my personal, i don't want to say what conversation we had on the phone. but we basically tried to work it out. >> larry: did it matter whether she pressed charges or not? >> no, in california, it really doesn't. there are exceptions, i mean, it's not like they can take her and put her in jail if she doesn't press charges or anything like that.

they changed the law in that respect. however, there are plenty of cases where the d.a. prosecutes in this county l.a. county, and they don't have anybody. i've actually seen cases where they tried the case without the complaining witness or the victim. they don't need to. and part of the problem, when they ask about chris, the specific incident and things like that, the law was originally designed and still is, that the complaining witness or victim is not supposed to be identified, precisely, so there won't be these questions so they don't have to relive it. >> larry: that would have been impossible. >> in this case, it would have been impossible, i suppose. but she's kind of in an unfair situation by virtue of the fact that she's not cloaked with the anonymity that you normally get in these kind of cases. and he's embraced that and he says he doesn't want to violate that, and i respect him. >> larry: but his own actions should be explained, don't you? >> he's explained them in detail to his lawyer, to his mom.

>> larry: but this is -- >> i is in. i don't know. i think out of respect for her family and for her, it makes more sense not to talk about. >> larry: we'll discuss after the incident, we're not going back to the incident. be right back.

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with both citing what they call serious allegations. the story has also stuped the hip-hop community. in a radio interview, conway -- kanye west was quick to come to rihanna's side. >> i feel like that is my baby sister. i would do anything to help her. two superstars used to headlines but not like this. >> larry: i just want to cover this because she says, according to the probation report, chris, there were at least two other incidents of domestic violence between you and rihanna before the february 8th assault. neither was ever reported to authorities. why? >> because i don't know. >> larry: did that happen? >> yeah, i'm not aware of those incidents. >> larry: it says the first incident took place last year in europe. a verbal dispute. you shoved her into a wall in europe. according to the probation

report, the second incident took place in barbados, driving in a car again, you got out of the car and broke the front driver and passenger's side windows. are those false reports? was that in the probation report? >> that was in the probation report. >> larry: that means the probation officer learned that, right? >> no. i think what the probation officer did was take something that he saw in another report. i don't think that that -- in fact, i'm positive that if you look at the probation report, he never spoke to rihanna, nor was there a statement that was delivered. >> larry: are you saying that didn't happen then? >> yeah, i don't have -- especially of that nature. as an actual couple like we have disputes and arguments, but we never got to the extent that i got to this point. >> larry: did you have major differences? >> no, i mean -- >> larry: you're a 20-year-old. what would be major difference what lollipop are we going to get? >> no, our relationship was pretty good.

we had a pretty steady and great relationship. >> larry: did you like -- how did you think of them as a couple, joyce? >> i mean, i liked rihanna. as a couple. together. fine. he's my kid. and she was like a child to me as well. she's like my daughter to me. >> larry: so it wouldn't have shocked you if they had gone on together and eventually married? >> it wouldn't have. >> larry: it's happened before. >> we spent christmas together. it was a relationship between two young people. >> larry: when you talked to rihanna after -- >> did i speak to her? >> larry: when you talked to her, what was her attitude? >> it was the same. it wasn't any animosity. >> larry: no animosity. >> she said, mom, i love you. and i said, i love you as well. >> larry: she calls you mom? >> yeah. >> larry: when you look at what happened, we know the stories you grew up with vials -- violence, an later violence occurs, do you piece this together? >> no.

>> larry: he was subjected to it as a kid? >> i don't believe that just because someone was abused that someone saw it, they're going to actually abuse. it can happen. i can't say that for sure. >> larry: so this is completely mind-boggling to you. >> it is mind-boggling to me, yes, it is. because i never saw it before this situation, so it was like it was something that i thought -- >> larry: he didn't do that to kids in school? >> we'd have scuffles with guys. there was never any domestic dispute between female and me. >> larry: do you say to yourself, chris -- you know you've got a lot of talent. you're a great dancer. great singer. popular, known all over the world. do you ever say to yourself, i screwed up? >> all the time. every day. >> larry: i screwed my career. >> every day. every day. i think probably this is probably one of the worst moments of my life. and i always wish i could take it back. everyday, it's just something

that sticks in my mind and i say countless times how sorry i am to rihanna. but it's just one of those things i wish i could have relived and handled it totally different. >> larry: i promised that we'd ask about after the incident. ask about after the incident. we will, after this. drinking tonight? yn if you ride drunk, you will get caught... and you will get arrested. ...or if you're already sick... ...or if you lose your job. your health insurance shouldn't either. so let's fix health care. if everyone's covered, we can make health care as affordable as possible. and the words "pre-existing condition" become a thing of the past... we're america's health insurance companies. supporting bipartisan reform that congress can build on.

>> larry: we're back with chris brown, joyce hawkins and mark geragos. what happened -- after the incident it took about eight hours for you to turn yourself in.

what happened in those eight hours? >> those eight hours, i was basically going to my mom and just like being totally disappointed in myself and knowing how disappointed she would be in me. at the same time, just trying to make sure everything was right in the way i turned myself in. >> larry: were you scared? >> definitely, yeah. >> larry: you went to see your mom first? >> yeah. >> larry: where was this? >> i think at where we were staying at our hotel. >> larry: in l.a.? >> yeah. >> larry: you were here visiting? for the grammys, right? >> uh-huh. >> larry: you learned about it from your son? >> i sure did. >> larry: you didn't have to see the pictures or anything. >> no, none of that. >> larry: did he tell you everything that happened? >> he sure did. >> larry: what does a mom say to her son? >> i'm there for him. but when he's wrong, he's wrong and i will let him know he is. i tell him how he should not be in a situation and the magnitude of what the situation was. >> larry: were you worried about

rihanna? >> i was worried about her. very much so. i wanted to know how she was as well. >> larry: you forgave your son because he's your son? >> of course, i would forgive anyone. not because he's my son, because i don't want to judge anyone. >> larry: well, people do judge in society. >> i don't have that right to do that. >> larry: how do you explain that to yourself? >> how do i explain? >> larry: he has trouble explaining it to himself. it's hard. we don't know why we do what we do. >> it takes a while. sometimes, you get there, sometimes, you don't. but, you know, it's especially difficult when there's all kinds of reports and misreports and things of that nature. we talked before about the two supposed incidents. when you look at the what the supposed incidents are. one is she's supposedly slapping him and there is a reaction and the other is a breaking of glass. that is not domestic violence. technically if that happens, it's vandalism. so you've got that. you have all of these other things that tend to kind of morph into their own urban

legends when they aren't necessarily true. when at the same time, you're feeling guilty, as he was, wanting to apologize and fall on his sword. >> larry: you understand in modern media, rumors start. >> i do. the problem with this case was the sourcing of it. there was repeatedly stories of where they were patently false. we would show them that they were patently false, write a letter that they were patently false and they still reported it. >> larry: one thing that was not false is what happened that night happened. you can't escape that. >> we continued the arraignment because he wanted to plead guilty from day one. he wanted to apologize from day one. that was one of the reasons that we continued arraignment in this case. >> larry: why did you want to plea right away? >> i feel like there's consequences for my action. i feel like it was up to me to be a bigger man and show people it's not okay, regardless of what any domestic incident, it's never okay. and because i am a celebrity and celebrities get the name of

getting off when they're in trouble all the time, so i just felt like it's basically, like, it was my right as a man to do it. >> larry: but if you wanted to do, if you wanted to pay the price, you might have done jail time. >> and it's something that i would accept. >> larry: on july 20th, chris posted a public apology video on his website. let's take a look. >> what i did was inexcusable. i am very sad and very ashamed of what i have done. my mother and my spiritual teachers have taught me way better than that. i have told rihanna countless times and i'm telling you today that i'm truly, truly sorry that i wasn't able to handle the situation both differently and better. >> larry: why did you post that, chris? >> i did it first -- i wanted to do it immediately. actually, i wanted to do it right after the incident happened. but i felt i owed it to people, definitely my fans, people who really support me and i let down to let people know who i really am and how remorseful and sorry i was.

i felt that was key, like, as far as, because i had already apologized to rihanna. me and her had established that i was sorry. she knew i was sorry. from there, i wanted to tell my fans. people were like, what happened? not the people who already want to scrutinize me or whatever. just my natural fans and all my fan base who looked up to me and prided themselves on listening to my music and having a good feeling about me. i wanted to express to them how i felt and how i was. >> larry: in the video you posted, you say you're sorry and weren't able to handle the situation both differently and better. how do you explain that? >> differently and better. just me being a bigger man when a problem occurs. instead of walking away, handling situations very different. just being mature about it and not handling it immature. >> larry: what kind of input did you have on the video? >> not a whole lot. the input i had on the video was holding him back from doing it sooner.

that's about the only input. what you saw there was largely written by him. those are words that came from his heart. i plugged in a couple things and he scratched them right off. he said no. >> it's all your -- >> i got a little help because of the wording, but it all came from my heart. those words from my heart. >> larry: we'll be right back, don't go away. (mom) i'm not going to be able to see her every day.

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police arrested chris brown this week after an alleged fight with his girlfriend, rihanna. >> chris brown's history of domestic violence. >> how sorry and saddened i am over what transpired. >> surrounded by a crush of cameras, chris brown arrived in court to face the music. >> larry: we're back with chris, joyce and mark. when you apologized, how do you do that? what did you say? >> when i apologized, basically showed i was really sorry. >> larry: what did you say to her? >> i don't want to say what i said to her, how we had our

conversation or how we dealt with the situation. it is between me and her. i'm sorry. >> larry: did you ever speak with her? >> no, i haven't. i talked to her lawyer, don. i've known don for a number of years. we have a good relationship. he, i think, had pretty good contact with her as well. >> larry: what did you say to her, joyce? >> when this happened? >> larry: yes. >> let her know i felt very, very bad for what happened. and apologized for my son. i'm so sorry for what happened to you. i didn't know what else to say. i gave her a hug and she hugged me as well. >> larry: what did she say to you? >> she didn't have a lot to say. mom, i'm okay. i'm okay. i love you. >> larry: she always call you mom? >> yeah. >> larry: something strange. later in february, you and rihanna were photographed jet skiing and relaxing at the miami home of shawn diddy combs. how did that happen?

>> after the media, a lot of stuff going on. me and her wanted to get away. i wouldn't say rekindle our relationship, build that friendship back up. that we had lost briefly because of the two sides. it was like a romeo and juliet story that couldn't have contact and got away. that was one of the main reason i was on a jet ski. i know i got a lot of flak on that. why were you on a jet ski, acting like no care in the world because i was rekindling my relationship with my friend. >> larry: did you rekindle it? >> at the time. yeah. >> larry: would you say it's rekindled now? even though you can't talk to each other? >> i'm pretty sure we can always be friends but i don't know about our relationship. i know definitely that we ended as friends. >> larry: what was that like to be back with her there at that home after all of this happened. you don't have to tell us why it happened.

what was that like? it had to be awkward? >> it wasn't awkward. i mean, i think we established how sorry i was. and she knew that. from there, we just wanted to relax. that's all it was about. and i know everybody was like puffy was the mediator, he wasn't. he was actually just a friend. out of everybody, he stepped up and was like, i'll lend you my home. >> larry: did she ever say to you, why did you do that? >> no. >> larry: never said that? and you weren't able to tell her because you don't know why you did it? >> yeah, the situation was touchy, we didn't really -- we just wanted to be friends. and relax. >> larry: what did you talk about? >> that's personal. >> larry: i mean, what do you talk about, the next record you're going to do? >> no, when we hang out, we don't really worry about the entertainment side or our careers as far as music is concerned. just kids. we just have fun. >> larry: you're not surprised with the attention this got, are you? you can't be surprised? >> a little bit. i teased him when i got the call that morning at about 6:30.

and i said, you know, somebody said this happened. and i think ben rothman called me and told me chris brown and rihanna. so i got out of bed. it was about 6:30. >> larry: the lawyer ben brothman. >> yeah, lawyer, ben brothman. i walked into my 18-year-old daughter's room. i woke her up and i said "who's chris brown and what's a rihanna. she looked at me and said, dad you're such a loser. >> larry: the rest is history. >> a couple hours, yeah. >> larry: we'll be back in 60 seconds. it molds better... it grips better... and seals better. you can even drink water with it on. crest whitestrips advanced seal. it's a breakthrough technology... that molds and adheres to your teeth better... ...giving you a dramatically whiter smile. whitening that fits any life and every smile. crest whitestrips advanced seal.

>> larry: we're back. chris, the february 8th episode shocked a lot of people including because chris spoke out about his mother having been a victim of domestic violence. here's what he said. >> i treat women differently.

when i go through the same thing, i put a person through the same thing my mom went through. >> larry: what happened. >> i made a mistake. something i have to live up to and own, know i can change and be a better person. i definitely made a mistake. >> larry: do you ever think something's the matter with me? >> i mean, i'm not saying i have a problem. but when people -- i'm willing to get counseling. i'm willing to learn myself more. because me being 20, i don't know everything. i'm not a man fully yet. so i want to definitely be a man and learn who i am and learn how to control emotions. learn how to control different things. i'm definitely willing to learn. >> larry: do you ever, joyce, think back whenever, and say, remember, there was this time when he was 17 or i remember once when he was 19, where you can say i understand partially what happened?

>> no, never. >> larry: did you ever get a call from another parent of another kid who said chris beat my son or my daughter up? >> never, never. >> larry: you're totally -- you have no knowledge of -- >> i know that hasn't happened to him. i've never gotten a call. >> larry: you can't piece anything together? >> no. >> larry: we'll be right back with more. don't go away. (announcer) we understand. you need to save money. need a lift? hey buddy, i appreciate the ride, you know. no problem. ♪ mind if i take a shortcut? yeah, sure. ♪ i knew the subaru legacy was the smart choice... what i didn't expect... was the fun.

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the allegations are shocking. >> 19-year-old chris brown is charged with two felonies. >> assault and one count of making criminal threats. >> it is a media frenzy here at the criminal courts building in l.a. >> larry: we're back. chris, you said you loved her. would it bug you if she dated other men? >> i definitely would be affected by it but at the end of the day, we're not together. so if she's happy, i'm cool. >> larry: how about you and other girls? >> right now i'm focused on my career. the only girls i love are all of my fans. >> larry: you're not dating? >> no. >> larry: nor do you intend to? >> who knows. i'm not saying i'm not going to

date. >> larry: but if you saw her, it would have to bug her a little if you're in love with her. >> definitely. who wouldn't be upset or who wouldn't be like kind of hurt if someone else gets the person you love. >> larry: in late may, a video of chris brown, bowling with reporting artist bow wow appeared on youtube. >> i will do all of the talking. i ain't been out there but a minute. new album going to be coming soon. recommend it right now. >> it's crazy! >> called "graffiti" got everything on it. you have to be ready for that. i'm about to drop a single for you this summer, y'all. we ain't going nowhere. anybody who hate us, keep hating you. all of my real fans, i will let you know, i'm not a monster. >> larry: you're not a monster. who are the haters you're talking about? >> i know that sounds so bad when you watch it. >> larry: it don't sound good. >> yeah, but i think who i was trying to address was the

people, the blog sites, who continuously made false statements or continuously put out, i'm not saying the incident at hand but the haters. people who aren't naturally my fans who just comment on stuff that's just bogus. and it's like, okay, well, if you're not my fan, don't listen to my music. i'm not asking you to. >> larry: you're idol was michael jackson. >> definitely. >> larry: how do you think about what happened here in the middle of all of this with you? >> i was devastated. i think my situation was definitely -- definitely important, but i got broke down when i found out michael jackson died. it really struck a nerve, because it was like -- that's like one of the reasons i really do music, honestly. my first reason when i was 15 i was like, yeah, i'm going to get a lot of girls. i'm going to be able to do music and have fun. but it was really michael jackson. i was watching him since i was 2 years old trying to do the lean he did. i was like his protege. >> larry: did you think about going to the memorial service?

>> i did go. >> larry: you did go. >> i just kept a low profile. >> larry: how did the paparazzi miss you. did you go disguised? >> no, i was a couple rows back. i just want to be chilling and pay my respect. >> larry: you remember him as a little boy, being michael jackson? >> yes, because i love michael. i was one of his number one fans. of course, him being in front of the mirror and watching michael dancing at 2 years old, doing little video at theme parks to michael jackson music. >> larry: we will talk about in our remaining moments that career and where it goes right after this. rum with high performance soy to even skin tone and active retinol to speed cell turn over. clinically shown to visibly fade brown spots in 14 nights. i even out my skin at night so it looks younger, flawless in the morning. (announcer) neutrogena tone correcting now you can fade and prevent discolorations all day. new tone correcting spf 30.

it was once hard not to like chris brown. the 19-year-old fresh-faced r&b singer wooed kids and their parents with his clean lyrics and polished good looks. ♪ >> larry: in our remaining moments, we reached out to rihanna for a statement about tonight's interview with chris brown. received no response. there is a standing invitation for rihanna to be a guest on "larry king live." and before we ask about what you do with your career now, you wanted to say something, joyce. >> i just want to reiterate chris has never, ever been a violent person. and they keep asking me, but he's never, ever encountered any activity with violence at all. i just wanted to make sure that you know that. >> larry: this is an aberration to you? >> yes. >> larry: what do you do with

your career now? >> i mean, only time will tell. >> larry: are you recording? >> definitely. i'm still doing music. that's my passion. but i feel like i'm doing a lot of my own stuff, just having fun. >> larry: are you doing any concerts? >> not at the moment. i think i'm just going to wait a little while. it's just been -- i don't think at the end of the day, my career is over. i just feel like it's just -- i just need to prove to people i can be a role model. >> larry: the tragedy though is when you die, maybe 100 years from today, this is fog to be in the first paragraph. >> yeah. they did it with michael jackson. and that's my man. that's who i love, so i just feel like that's what people love. people love negativity. they feed off of that. it's like a drug to them. so i think if i continue to live my life in a positive way n. a positive manner and show people the other side of me, then it leaves no room for error at the end of the day. >> larry: anything you want to say to her now or the fans? >> just everybody. like i said, i apologized. i said i'm sorry.

i think everybody who supported me from day one, my real friends, and you know who you are, i just love all of my supporters and i love everything. thank you. >> larry: this probation prevent him from doing concerts? >> no. in fact, he can travel anywhere in the u.s., and if he gets permission from the court, he can go outside of the country but he's got a load of community service to do. >> larry: all supervised in virginia? >> yeah, with the approval of the probation department, all of these things will be done where he lives. he lives in virginia, as i think they mentioned, they live three doors away from each other. mom keeps a pretty good eye on him. and i'll tell you something, i've grown to love this kid like a son or a nephew. >> larry: you have? >> i really have. i adore joyce, but this guy, i've -- i have really come to like quite a bit. he's a great kid, a really great kid. and i have a high degree of confidence, i will say it now so that you can p