John McClain Michael Jackson estate co-executor dies at 71

John McClain, the veteran music executive who served as co-executor of Michael Jackson’s estate and helped transform it from deep debt into a multibillion-dollar enterprise, died Tuesday in Malibu, California. He was 71. A representative for the estate confirmed his death, attributing it to complications from a fall.

McClain’s passing comes amid an ongoing legal dispute between the estate’s executors and Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson, over financial management. A Los Angeles judge recently ruled that $625,000 in unauthorized bonus payments made to third-party law firms in 2018 were invalid and must be returned. Paris Jackson is also seeking an additional $463,752 in accrued interest. Alongside her brothers Prince and Bigi, she successfully petitioned the court for a full accounting of all attorney and estate fees from 2019 through 2024, with a compliance deadline set for September 15, 2026.

Estate representatives have consistently maintained that no funds were misused, highlighting that the estate has grown substantially under their management and that Paris Jackson has benefited from it. The executors’ legal team has stated that court-approved bonuses reflected years of...