before reports emerged from Bahrain that he and his children had landed there on a private jet as the guests of Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa , the king 's son , and a friend of Jackson 's brother , Jermaine . It was claimed at the time that Jackson had a large fan base in the kingdom and wider Gulf region . Watch why Jackson is `` as big as it gets '' '' Indeed Bahrain , a chain of around 30 islands with a population of 766,000 and relaxed social social environment , appeared the perfect escape -- for 11 months anyway . It was made even more enticing by Sheikh Abdulla 's generosity . In 2008 he sued Jackson in a Britain 's High Court for # 4.7 million -LRB- $ 7.7 million -RRB- , claiming the pop star had reneged on a music contract . Sheikh Abdulla said he had paid all of Jackson 's living , travel and other expenses until his departure from Bahrain in May 2006 , and advanced funds to retain legal and financial advisers . Watch Jesse Jackson share memories '' Sheikh Abdulla also built a recording studio ,
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Jackson 's sudden death has thrown the peculiar path of his later life back into the spotlight . Michael Jackson spent 11 months living in Bahrain after his acquittal on child abuse charges in the U.S. . He spent much of the past four years flitting from one part of the globe to another , failing to put down permanent roots . However , one of his longest spells in one place was spent in Bahrain . When his life was falling apart at the seams in 2005 he was offered sanctuary in the Persian Gulf kingdom . He had been just been acquitted of 10 child abuse charges at the end of a 14-week trial in the U.S. , but there appeared to be no respite from the bad publicity and his spiraling debts which had forced the sale of his Neverland ranch . He suffered health problems during the trial and appeared increasingly frail . Jackson , who died owing an estimated $ 500 million , had been living beyond his means for years and wanted to flee the spotlight . He had not been seen in the two weeks after the trial