A close friend of the late King of Pop has revealed that he lived in fear of being assassinated during a live performance.

Michael Jackson's pal, Jason Pfeiffer, explained that the superstar would often say his 'final goodbyes' before playing a big concert because he was convinced someone might try to shoot him:

"The last time I saw him he was saying his goodbyes to everyone in the office. It was like he knew he was never coming back, and he would often say he thought he was going to be shot on stage."

Pfeiffer added that Jackson was particularly excited about his planned London gigs as he thought there would be less chance of getting gunned down in the UK:

"He said the comeback was in England due to the gun laws there. That's why he ditched a US comeback as people had access to guns here and would shoot him. He thought America was too dangerous. But he still had some fears that he would be shot on stage."

Watch Jackson's video for 'This Is It' here: