u/mintylong

It is with an incredibly heavy heart that we share the passing of Jayne Ross.

For nearly 30 years, Jayne served as President of the Michael Jackson World Network. She was the beating heart of MJWN and a central figure within the UK fan community for decades. Our personal loss is immeasurable, but this loss will be felt throughout the wider Michael Jackson fan community.

Jayne’s journey began in the early 1990s as a volunteer with Michael’s Heal the World Foundation. She helped coordinate the ‘Swim the World’ fundraiser and ‘Operation Christmas Child,’ a relief campaign that delivered vital medical supplies, food, and gifts to children affected by the war in Bosnia.

After helping co-run the UK fan club MJNI, Jayne worked alongside Adrian Grant to establish MJWN, becoming its President in 1999. She oversaw the publication of multiple magazines, and collaborated with fan clubs around the world to produce ‘Support Michael’ in 2004, an international campaign that united fans during Michael’s trial.

Jayne’s dedication to the fans and to Michael was at the core of who she was. Whether she was helping fans secure tickets to the ‘Michael Jackson & Friends’ and ‘30th Anniversary’ concerts, ensuring thousands of fan letters reached Michael, or helping organize fan events that Michael himself attended, including MJ Day in 2001 and his 45th birthday celebration in 2003, her passion never diminished.

Despite her extraordinary contribution, Jayne never sought recognition. She remained humble and intensely private, always insisting that she was simply a fan among fans, motivated by her love for Michael.

When the news of Michael’s passing broke, Jayne’s response revealed everything you needed to know about the person she was. While dealing with her own heartbreak, Jayne’s first instinct was to personally call every member of the MJWN team so that nobody would have to receive such devastating news alone.

That was Jayne.

She was compassionate, selfless, fiercely loyal, and full of life. We were privileged to know her, to work alongside her, and to call her our friend.

She leaves behind her husband Alan, her sons Ashley and Callum, and her beloved grandchildren.

MJWN will continue in her honor, carrying forward the legacy of the woman who helped build not just a fan club, but a family.

... EDIT... https://mjifc.com/ The website is down atm, possibly to fix some tech issues.

OMG https://www.mjifc.com/forums/ MJIFC forums from 2009 have been restored and back online . This is what our world was like when Michael was alive, this is just ONE of the many forums we had, one of our online homes. All the times everyone has asked about what was the fan community like, and how did we know stuff, well here you are.

No you can see what we lost, now you can see how everyone knew each other, now you can see what we mean when we say how small it was, and how we were underground, a small niche community ignored by mass media.

The truth about Matt Fiddes need to be known. This is a blog from 2012 , not written by me, but one which I have saved all these years. It lists year by year his complete history, how he became umbrella holder number one, right up to him suing Tito Jackson in 2008 and all the stories he has sold to the UK media, and how he has built his business in the UK using Michaels name for clout and financial gain.

https://youtoobrutus.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/matt-fiddes-michael-jackson-lies-over-blankets-biology/

Cliff Notes

October 19th 1999 – Matt Fiddes stages a show at his martial arts center using a Michael Jackson impersonator

March 4-7th 2001 – Michael flies in to London to give a speech at Oxford University, Matt claims he first works for Michael here, though there is no proof of this.

June 11th-18th 2002 – (Blanket has already been born) Michael flies in to London and Uri Geller asks his friend Matt Fiddes to work as one of Michael’s bodyguards

January 16th 2008 – Sells a story to The Sun about his friendship with Michael,

11th August 2008 – Matt Fiddes sues his friend Tito Jackson

November 2008 – The documentary “The Jacksons Are Coming” is aired, featuring the Jackson family visiting the UK and considering buying a home in Devon, England. Matt Fiddes makes himself available as a local guide on the basis of his previous tenuous association with MJ. Reports on the doc from the Daily Mail: “Tito recalls: ‘Matt started to get in more and more shots, and didn’t want this or that person to be involved because it would take away from his screen time.

22nd November 2008 – Tito Jackson responds to Matt Fiddes’ lawsuit against him

June 2009 Matt sells stories to the tabloids about Michael’s addiction to drugs,

6th July 2009 – In an article in People magazine where it’s reported that Katherine has banned MJ hanger-ons from attending the memorial, Matt coincidentally says that he and Uri Geller did not receive any invites to the MJ Memorial.

19th July 2009 – Matt Fiddes speaks to People.co.uk, where he says MJ spoke often of death and dying and had considered freezing himself or having a clone made using his sperm.

9th August 2009 – Matt goes on Sky News to back up Mark Lester’s story about being Paris’ father

28th Jan 2010 –Matt Fiddes alleges the Jacksons move to Devon was a “stunt”, but is forced to admit that, “he was instrumental in concocting the bogus story

22nd June 2010 – The day before his trial was due to begin, he drops his lawsuit against Channel 4 because, Fiddes “had submitted what he claimed to be “a highly relevant and significant document” to the court. He claimed that the new evidence had only recently been discovered, but the defendants alleged that the document was a forgery, leading to Fiddes withdrawing his fakery allegations and the case collapsing.”

26th September 2010 – Matt Fiddes sells his story to News Of The World, where he claims to be Blanket Jackson’s father.

27th September 2010 – Sells his story to TMZ

17th November 2010 – Matt Fiddes sells a story

3rd December 2010 – Matt sells another story about Michael

18th April 2012 – Once again, Matt sells a story to the Daily Star claiming that he is Blanket’s father

Lets rewind to April 2009

The fan community was buzzing with concert planning. Back then as now, I was a very active member of the online fan communities.

Fans in LA were sending updates about being outside Michaels house and about being outside the rehearsal venues.

One day I get a private message from a fan in America. She couldn't come to London for the concerts but could go to LA for a few days. She asked for my help to connect with the fans in LA. I gave her the information she asked for and she went to LA in June 2009.

However , we all know what happened next.

Then the photos and footage of rehearsals became public and everyone saw the t-shirt. The fan put her story online, about how she travelled to LA and managed to give a gift to Michael. She had no idea he wore the t shirt until the photos and footage of rehearsals became public. It was just meant as a private joke between a fan and Michael, something to make him smile. But it spiraled into something more, something she never expected.

Im sure if you search you can find her story online. But it needs to be remembered, that it was a fan gift. And the unwritten rule, the unsaid code among the fan community was that you never ever copied someone else's idea. If someone gave a gift to Michael or made a banner or whatever , that idea or thing was never stolen and used by someone else.

Its almost June and for me that means the final preparations for going to Forest Lawn on June 25. I'm going through my Michael cupboard and I thought the new young fans might be interested.

When we used to travel to see Michael at events, concerts and public events, we would make banners, and write him letters. I'm sure everyone had the same as me, boxes of crafting supplies, collected over the years, whenever you would see things in the shops, "oh that would be useful for a banner".

I still have all my boxes of Michael crafting supplies, filled with hardened glue, dried up sharpies, stickers, ribbons, and so much more things. I just couldn't bare to dump them when Michael died, so I just left them as they were.

I am going through a few boxes now, as I am making my banner for Forest Lawn. I have found all sorts of random things, half written letters to Michael from 25 years ago, pages from diaries after returning home from seeing Michael, things I had planned to give him, but somehow didn't. They are now like a time capsule of happier times, for a few moments, the 17 years without him disappear and I'm transported back to the excitement of knowing I will see him again.

I don't open the boxes that often, its been a few years since I have gone through them like this, looking for something specific. They make me smile but then reality returns, that all we have now is Forest Lawn.

In todays times, people are hugely popular in a certain genre but outside of that genre they are not.  The internet has really segmented and fragmented peoples interests and how they get access to information. Everything is now a niche and specialized interest. Everyone is now on various platforms where the algorithms continually show content chosen for you based your specific interests. There is very little overlap between genres or interests.

Ronaldo or Taylor Swift are huge in their respective areas and are international but at the same time, they are only well known to a certain age group or type of people. When Taylor Swift did concerts in my city, yes they were sold out but her being in my city had no impact on day to day life here, and only people going to the concerts knew she was in town.

Where as when Michael did concerts in my city, the city came to a stand still. It was all over local and national mainstream media that the concerts were happening. People who were not going to concerts knew all about the concerts. All ages and types of people went to Michaels concert, not just teenagers or people in their 20's. People went to Michaels concerts because it was an event, a thing to do, the biggest thing happening in the city that night. "Remember that time when Michael Jackson did a concert, oh yeah I was there" The concerts were featured on the mainstream news. The day after the concerts he was front page on all the newspapers. His music was played on all the radio stations, even stations which did not usually play his music. When Michael did a concert it was a cultural event.

Another example. A lot of famous people and celebs visit my country and have homes here. A lot of films and tv are made here. So there are always famous people arriving at the airports. In May 2006, Michael came to my country and stayed for a few months. His arrival at Cork airport made mainstream news. I was at work and we had the radio on for back ground noise. I got such a shock when on the 11am news bulletin they said Michael had got off a plane at Cork airport.

Since the movie has come out, theres lots of posts asking about where to learn more about Michael. This is a list of resources for new fans or fans looking to re connect with Michael. There are two books which I have not put on the list, being mindful of the Sub rules. If you want to know what these books are, send me a private message. There is also another book, which again being mindful of the sub rules I highly recommend but have not included.

Must Read Books

• Moonwalk : Michael Jackson Autobiography, original published by Doubleday 1988, reissued 2009
• My Family, the Jacksons: Katherine Jackson Published 1990. Autobiography where Katherine details her early life, meeting and marrying Joseph, the early days of the family in Gary, Indiana and the move to California.
• Dancing The Dream : Book of short stories and poems by Michael Jackson, original published by Doubleday 1992, reissued by Transworld 2009
• La Toya: Growing Up in the Jackson Family : LaToya Jackson Autobiography 1992
• Michael Jackson: For the Record : Chris Cadman and Craig Halstead First Published 2007, updated 2009 In depth details about almost every song known at the time the book was published and then updated. Includes rare songs and demos, from all parts of Michaels career.
• Michael Jackson The Visual Documentary: Adrian Grant, Omnibus Press; 5th Edition 2009. A day by day, year by year factual book about Michaels life, written by Adrian Grant and authorized and acknowledged by Michael. Starts with the Jackson family tree and Michaels birth and ends in 2009.
• You Are Not Alone: Michael, Through a Brother’s Eyes: Jermaine Jackson Published by HarperCollins 2012.
• Starting Over : LaToya Jackson Updated Autobiography 2012
• A Life for L.O.V.E. : Brigitte Bloemen, Marina Dobler,, Miriam Lohr 2013- A collection of first hand accounts by people who knew Michael which focusses on his charitable and humanitarian accomplishments.

Must Watch TV Shows, Films

• The Making of Thriller : Behind The Scenes of how Michael Jacksons Thriller was made 1983
• Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever 1983
• Moonwalker: Michael Jackson feature film 1988
• The Legend Continues: Documentary 1988
• Michael Jackson From Motown To Your Town : MTV documentary about the Bad Tour, behind the scenes and so much more 1988
• Live at Wembley July 16, 1988 : A live concert DVD released in 2012
• MTV's 10th Anniversary Special 1991
• The Jacksons An American Dream 1992
• Michael Jackson Dangerous Diary : MTV documentary about the Dangerous tour, behind the scenes and so much more 1992
• Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour: A live concert DVD, Recorded1992 released in 2005
• Michael Jackson Talks ... to Oprah February 1993
• Diane Sawyer Primetime Michael Jackson, Lisa Marie Presley June 1995
• Ghosts: Michael Jackson short film 1996
• Barbara Walters 60 Minutes With Michael Jackson September 1997
• History Live Munich : Recorded 1997, released 2010
• Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies : 2 Hour tv special documentary aired in 2003, a compilation of private home movies and interviews with Michael
• BAD 25 : Spike Lee Documentary 2012
• Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall: Spike Lee Documentary 2016
• Thriller 40 : Nelson George Documentary 2023

As there are so many new members and new fans due to the film, Im reposting this. Im seeing so many questions about Michael from people discovering him and rediscovering him.

Original thread, now archived, so no new replies can be added

https://www.reddit.com/r/MichaelJackson/comments/1nk4ro9/im_moonstreet_follower_fan_from_1999_to_2009_ask/

For those who may not know, I was one of the European fans who travelled to see Michael between 1999 and 2009. I've been a part of both the online fan communities and off line fan communities since History era. I've used the name Moonstreet in Michael Jackson communities since Invincible era.

Like the title says, Ask Me Anything About Being A Michael Jackson Fan.

Before History era, I wasn't part of any fan communities, so I can only answer about being a teenage fan in the 1990's in Ireland with no internet and only having access to Irish and UK mainstream media.

From 1998 onwards, I will only answer about my experiences. Some things are not my stories to tell, some things can be found online. Some times I was told things by other fans, but didn't experience, but usually I can make a very educated guess as to whether it was just gossip or if there was any truth.

This is a basic overview of my Michael Jackson trips

1997 - History Dublin Concert

1999 - MJ and Friends Concert, Munich Germany

2000- World Music Awards, Monaco

2000- Elizabeth Taylor Tribute Concert , London

2001 - Heal The Kids Event, Carnegie Hall, New York

2001 - MJ Day Fan Club Event London

2001 - 30th Anniversary Concerts, September 7th and September 10th

2001- Invincible CD Signing Event New York

2002 - Exeter Football Stadium , Killer Thriller Fan Club Event, Sony Demo London

2002 - Bambi Awards and Shopping in Berlin

2004 - Santa Maria and Neverland ( was for the arraignment but the date got changed and I had to leave before the court and fan party at Neverland)
2005 - Santa Maria Court and Neverland

2006 - World Music Awards London, Mary Poppins Theatre Show, Shopping at Topshop

2007 - Michael visited London in March and went shopping in Harrods

2007 - Michael visited London to attend the birthday party of the son of The Sultan of Brunei

2009 - This Is It Press Conference, Oliver Theatre Show