Bill Whitfield has opened up about what he believes actually killed the “King of Pop” on what would have been his 66th birthday. Whitfield, Michael Jackson’s final bodyguard, denied allegations of sexual abuse against the singer, saying, “He once said he’d slit his wrist before he hurt a child.” The celebrity security professional also revealed Jackson’s most vulnerable moments to The Sun on Thursday, August 29.

Michael Jackson’s Last Bodyguard Reveals Singer’s Real Cause of Death

The Billie Jean hitmaker died on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50 in Los Angeles, California, from acute propofol poisoning. Jackson’s death was ruled a homicide and his personal physician, Conrad Murray, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. However, Whitfield revealed that he had doubted for years whether he had been killed intentionally.

“Do I think someone made a mistake? Yes,” Whitfield said. “I’ve been trying to work through the thoughts of whether this was intentional,” he added, describing how Jackson had become “a little more fragile than normal” in the days leading up to his death. “Before the whole This Is It tour started, a lot had changed. There were more people in his life and it was getting hectic. He was rehearsing a lot. I could tell it was taking a toll on him,” he said.

The Beat It singer passed away just three weeks before he was set to begin his highly anticipated sold-out residency. “But the thought that (he) died intentionally by someone doesn’t weigh on me,” Whitfield continued. “I’ve been asked many times what I think killed him. And I’ve told people a lot of things. And that’s true for a lot of us,” he added.

He revealed how Jackson was always surrounded by “so many people who not only wanted to be around him, but there were so many people who wanted something from him.” “And that could be overwhelming. He was definitely stressed. And stress kills,” said Whitfield, who was hired as the Bad hitmaker’s bodyguard in 2006.

Bill Whitfield Refutes Child Abuse Allegations Against Michael Jackson

The Certified Private Security Professional described the Thriller singer as a “very good friend” before revealing that his “most prized possession” was his children. When asked for his thoughts on the sexual abuse allegations against Jackson, Whitfield said: “He wasn’t,” adding: “Nothing like that even remotely came up to make me believe or assume otherwise.”

Whitfield then stressed that it wasn’t Jackson’s character. “You had to be around him to know him, and I was there,” he said. “So no, he wasn’t. And so it still surprises me when I hear things like that. I just think it’s a shame that he wasn’t around long enough to tell his side of the story so that people could have a better understanding of who he was,” he added.

The Smooth Criminal frontman faced allegations of sexually abusing a child in 1993. Though Jackson was acquitted in 2005 after the FBI found no evidence to suggest criminal behavior, he has been tried on a series of child abuse charges over the years. “He would never hurt a child. That was not the man I knew,” Whitfield said, adding, “He once said he would slit his wrist before he would hurt a child. So I know those allegations were painful for him. I can see it changed him.”