Michael Jackson: The King of My Heart
In this section, we’ll take a look at Tatiana Thumbtzen’s life story and read parts of her interview. In the coming days, parts of her two books will also be featured on this page.
Tatiana Stephanie Yvonne Thumbtzen, known as Tatiana Thumbtzen, was Michael’s co-star in the famous clip “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and she was the first girl to kiss Michael in front of cameras. She has always spoken about an emotional relationship between herself and Michael—something Michael never denied or confirmed, and which, from Michael’s team, was described as another attempt to gain wealth by exploiting the name and credibility of Michael Jackson.
Tatiana was born on April 22, 1960, in Clearwater, Florida, United States. At age 8, she moved to New York and enrolled in a ballet dance school. At 19, with a height of 170 cm, she began her career as a model in Japan. After returning to New York, she continued her work in film studios. In late 1986, she moved to Los Angeles to appear in videos and advertising posters. But her breakthrough was in Michael Jackson’s “The Feeling That You Give Me” video, which overnight—and for a short time—made her a global star. The clip was released on October 31, 1987.
Michael invited Tatiana to join the Bad world tour (start: September 12, 1987 — end: January 27, 1989). She performed alongside Michael on various stages until a mistake led to her being dismissed from the tour. She kissed Michael on stage, and then Sheryl Crow—one of the tour’s singers—took her place. As Tatiana says, after that, Michael never tried to contact her again.
Tatiana and Michael never saw each other again after 1989, following the Black Radio Exclusive Humanitarian Award ceremony. That night, Tatiana presented the humanitarian award to Michael. After receiving the award, Michael gave a brief speech and then left Tatiana’s life forever.
Tatiana believes that people around Michael built a barrier to the love between the two—either out of fear of fans’ reactions or due to other issues, such as losing their close relationship with him. Her finger of accusation especially pointed toward Frank Delio, Michael Jackson’s manager. It’s said that they met some time before Frank’s death, and after years, they finally resolved their issues.
Tatiana says: "My love and faith in Michael gave me the power and determination to grow and keep working."
Previously, you could read about her on this page. In 2005, in a book titled “The Way He Made Me Feel” (the feeling he gave me), she talked about her memories with Michael.
Last March, Tatiana’s new book titled “Michael & Tatiana: The King of My Heart” also hit the market. Compared to her previous book, it offers a more detailed and deeper look at her feelings about Michael.
Of course, it shouldn’t be overlooked that Michael never personally said anything about her claims. Although years ago, Michael’s mother Katherine said she asked her son about Tatiana, and Michael had accepted that he was interested in her.
Tatiana’s book first and her book second are sold on Amazon.
In her second book, Tatiana talks about her disappointments and failures. Beyond that, she also writes about her encounters with Diana Ross, Brooke Shields, and Lisa Marie Presley—Michael’s first wife. Diana and Brooke were both longtime friends of Michael.
As she says, after Michael’s death she suffered a terrible emotional shock. She was invited by the Jackson family to attend Michael’s funeral ceremony in September 2009, and she appeared there with a very affected look.
After Michael’s passing, an portrait design project was launched for Michael Jackson. The plan was to complete the portrait with one million dots as a symbol of one million fans around the world. Tatiana was among the people who supported this project.
She spoke with AllHipHop.com to promote her new book, and we’re reading excerpts from it.
- What made Michael the King of your heart?
Tatiana: Michael was my childhood. The first time I saw him, I was three years old, and I knew my heart belonged to him—and I kept that love from that time on. Even when I was a little girl, I had the dream of meeting him.
- What was your goal in writing the second book?
Tatiana: The second book tells my story more deeply.
- How did you cope with Michael’s death?
Tatiana: With God’s help. I believe in God. Every morning when I wake up, I remember that the world is no longer like it used to be. Something is missing. Someone who was always in my heart, and whom I considered my soul mate. It’s not at all simple, because sometimes I feel like I have the other half of something that no longer exists.
- I’m sure you agree with me. Before his death, people harassed him—and then, once he passed away, they held him in their arms.
Tatiana: Your point of view is completely correct. I’ve seen people who didn’t care about Michael, and then, after his death, they became his obsessive fans and worshipped him like a god, admiring and praising him. I think people don’t appreciate someone until they’ve lost them.
- Did you ever think that maybe one day you would capture his attention?
Tatiana: No, never—though once a friend predicted it. In my book, I wrote about a friend whose name I won’t reveal, who told me I should go to New York and see Michael Jackson because he would like me. (laughs) Of course, I wasn’t thinking about things like that. I just wanted to see him. When I saw him and worked with him, everything happened on its own. It was God’s work. Those days were the happiest period of my life. After that, I never tasted happiness again.
- I know that, given his status, this must have been very difficult for you.
Tatiana: He was the greatest showman in history, but beyond that, he was a man. The feelings we had for each other were between us, and had nothing to do with him being a god. When the ice between us melted and we got to know each other, he was simply Michael.
- People have always either portrayed him as less than human or as superhuman. They never saw him as a man who could make a beautiful woman like you fall in love with him. After his death, many stories about his interactions with women and his teasing jokes spread. Do you confirm that such a trait existed in him?
Tatiana: Completely. There’s a scene in the TWYMMF video where we go into the car. The first time, my shoe heel got stuck somewhere, and he put his hand on my foot to help me. The fact that he was touching my foot left me so stunned and fascinated that I pulled myself away and fell onto my back on the ground. He lifted me up from the floor and brushed the dust off my clothes with his hand—not in a rude way, but out of intimacy. When I looked at him, he had a mischievous smile on his lips. He was an ordinary man—strong and lively.
He thought the way I walked was attractive. He told me that my walking was my dancing.
I can understand that the media has always made him seem like a strange person. Once, Michael’s advisor, Firpo Carr, said that being Michael Jackson’s advisor isn’t a job for weak-willed and cowardly people.
{To be continued...}
Source: eMJey.com / firpocarr.com / AllHipHop.com
Tatiana Stephanie Yvonne Thumbtzen, known as Tatiana Thumbtzen, was Michael’s co-star in the famous clip “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and she was the first girl to kiss Michael in front of cameras. She has always spoken about an emotional relationship between herself and Michael—something Michael never denied or confirmed, and which, from Michael’s team, was described as another attempt to gain wealth by exploiting the name and credibility of Michael Jackson.
Tatiana was born on April 22, 1960, in Clearwater, Florida, United States. At age 8, she moved to New York and enrolled in a ballet dance school. At 19, with a height of 170 cm, she began her career as a model in Japan. After returning to New York, she continued her work in film studios. In late 1986, she moved to Los Angeles to appear in videos and advertising posters. But her breakthrough was in Michael Jackson’s “The Feeling That You Give Me” video, which overnight—and for a short time—made her a global star. The clip was released on October 31, 1987.
Michael invited Tatiana to join the Bad world tour (start: September 12, 1987 — end: January 27, 1989). She performed alongside Michael on various stages until a mistake led to her being dismissed from the tour. She kissed Michael on stage, and then Sheryl Crow—one of the tour’s singers—took her place. As Tatiana says, after that, Michael never tried to contact her again.
Tatiana and Michael never saw each other again after 1989, following the Black Radio Exclusive Humanitarian Award ceremony. That night, Tatiana presented the humanitarian award to Michael. After receiving the award, Michael gave a brief speech and then left Tatiana’s life forever.
Tatiana believes that people around Michael built a barrier to the love between the two—either out of fear of fans’ reactions or due to other issues, such as losing their close relationship with him. Her finger of accusation especially pointed toward Frank Delio, Michael Jackson’s manager. It’s said that they met some time before Frank’s death, and after years, they finally resolved their issues.
Tatiana says: "My love and faith in Michael gave me the power and determination to grow and keep working."
Previously, you could read about her on this page. In 2005, in a book titled “The Way He Made Me Feel” (the feeling he gave me), she talked about her memories with Michael.
Last March, Tatiana’s new book titled “Michael & Tatiana: The King of My Heart” also hit the market. Compared to her previous book, it offers a more detailed and deeper look at her feelings about Michael.
Of course, it shouldn’t be overlooked that Michael never personally said anything about her claims. Although years ago, Michael’s mother Katherine said she asked her son about Tatiana, and Michael had accepted that he was interested in her.
Tatiana’s book first and her book second are sold on Amazon.
In her second book, Tatiana talks about her disappointments and failures. Beyond that, she also writes about her encounters with Diana Ross, Brooke Shields, and Lisa Marie Presley—Michael’s first wife. Diana and Brooke were both longtime friends of Michael.
As she says, after Michael’s death she suffered a terrible emotional shock. She was invited by the Jackson family to attend Michael’s funeral ceremony in September 2009, and she appeared there with a very affected look.
After Michael’s passing, an portrait design project was launched for Michael Jackson. The plan was to complete the portrait with one million dots as a symbol of one million fans around the world. Tatiana was among the people who supported this project.
She spoke with AllHipHop.com to promote her new book, and we’re reading excerpts from it.
- What made Michael the King of your heart?
Tatiana: Michael was my childhood. The first time I saw him, I was three years old, and I knew my heart belonged to him—and I kept that love from that time on. Even when I was a little girl, I had the dream of meeting him.
- What was your goal in writing the second book?
Tatiana: The second book tells my story more deeply.
- How did you cope with Michael’s death?
Tatiana: With God’s help. I believe in God. Every morning when I wake up, I remember that the world is no longer like it used to be. Something is missing. Someone who was always in my heart, and whom I considered my soul mate. It’s not at all simple, because sometimes I feel like I have the other half of something that no longer exists.
- I’m sure you agree with me. Before his death, people harassed him—and then, once he passed away, they held him in their arms.
Tatiana: Your point of view is completely correct. I’ve seen people who didn’t care about Michael, and then, after his death, they became his obsessive fans and worshipped him like a god, admiring and praising him. I think people don’t appreciate someone until they’ve lost them.
- Did you ever think that maybe one day you would capture his attention?
Tatiana: No, never—though once a friend predicted it. In my book, I wrote about a friend whose name I won’t reveal, who told me I should go to New York and see Michael Jackson because he would like me. (laughs) Of course, I wasn’t thinking about things like that. I just wanted to see him. When I saw him and worked with him, everything happened on its own. It was God’s work. Those days were the happiest period of my life. After that, I never tasted happiness again.
- I know that, given his status, this must have been very difficult for you.
Tatiana: He was the greatest showman in history, but beyond that, he was a man. The feelings we had for each other were between us, and had nothing to do with him being a god. When the ice between us melted and we got to know each other, he was simply Michael.
- People have always either portrayed him as less than human or as superhuman. They never saw him as a man who could make a beautiful woman like you fall in love with him. After his death, many stories about his interactions with women and his teasing jokes spread. Do you confirm that such a trait existed in him?
Tatiana: Completely. There’s a scene in the TWYMMF video where we go into the car. The first time, my shoe heel got stuck somewhere, and he put his hand on my foot to help me. The fact that he was touching my foot left me so stunned and fascinated that I pulled myself away and fell onto my back on the ground. He lifted me up from the floor and brushed the dust off my clothes with his hand—not in a rude way, but out of intimacy. When I looked at him, he had a mischievous smile on his lips. He was an ordinary man—strong and lively.
He thought the way I walked was attractive. He told me that my walking was my dancing.
I can understand that the media has always made him seem like a strange person. Once, Michael’s advisor, Firpo Carr, said that being Michael Jackson’s advisor isn’t a job for weak-willed and cowardly people.
{To be continued...}
Source: eMJey.com / firpocarr.com / AllHipHop.com