Fan reaction was swift and extremely brutal
toward news of the suicide of Evan Chandler, the father of the
first boy who accused Michael Jackson of molestation in
1994.
Facebook, Twitter and blog sites exploded with
the passionate feelings of Michael Jackson disciples’ after Evan
Chandler, the father of Jordan Chandler, was found in his luxury
seaside apartment in New Jersey with a single, self-inflicted gunshot
wound.
“Karma is a —–,” writes Delonda of
Chicago.
“Money is the root of all evil,” adds TJ of
Atlanta.
“Good. Let the liar burn in —-,” writes
Jazz. “[Michael] settled because he wanted to move on with his
life. The real question is why did the family settle. If your child
was molested, there’s no chance … you would take the money. You
would want that person in jail — PERIOD. MJ is innocent.”
Fans were unrelenting in their denunciation of
Chandler even after they learned that the the 65-year-old
ex-Beverly Hills dentist and aspiring screenwriter died as a
brokenhearted recluse – destitute, depressed, isolated,
drug-addicted and estranged from his son, ex-wives and family
members.
Chandler survived recently off a monthly
allowance that the court ordered his son, Jordan, to pay for a
pre-determined period of time. That allowance was due to expire soon.
Moreover, Evan Chandler had undergone multiple surgeries to alter his
appearance to escape detection and the subsequent backlash from MJ’s
innumerable fans.
“I hope this means that justice has been
served,” writes Maria, before addressing Jordan directly.
“Jodie: sorry for the loss of your father, estranged or not. You
now must know how Michael’s children and his numerous fans are
feeling. Now that you are no longer under his influence, do the right
thing and clear Michael’s name. Clear your conscience so you do not
end up like your father. Rest in peace, Michael. We will love you
forever.”
The King of Pop reportedly paid — or Epic
Records’ insurance paid — in excess of $20 million dollars to make
the case go away and try to repair Jackson’s image and restore
his musical career. Instead Michael became a social pariah and his
national image was blunted irrevocably. Many fans see this as the
beginning of the end of Jackson’s life. And they took this
moment to air their still-simmering rage.
What makes fans even more suspicious of that
1994 molestation case was a recently released book by Ian
Halperin, Unmasked: the Final
Years of Michael Jackson, who wrote
that Evan Chandler premeditatedly went after Jackson’s money
after the King of Pop cut ties to the Chandler family. For those
and other reasons fans unfurled the type of venom at the
deceased Chandler that’s normally reserved for a foreign
terrorist.
“Justice has been served to the father,”
writes Claudine, who sums up the sentiments of many. “Bet he was in
a lot of pain prior to his death. That’s karma. The good or evil
you do will go back to you in full measure. The son should speak up
now and tell the truth or suffer the same fate. Nothing worse than
destroying the life and reputation of a person with lies and deceit.” –terry
shropshire
