Speaking exclusively to Hot Press, Louis says that he purposely avoided the media in the immediate aftermath of Jackson's death, as he didn't want to be quoted as an expert on the life of a man he'd only met once.

"I did meet Michael," he says, "but it was only for a minute at the RDS, where he was playing in 1997. Stephen Gately of Boyzone is one of his biggest fans, so I managed to blag us in and get a photo of the two of them together."

A massive Jackson fan, Walsh tells of his extraordinary showmanship and incredible talent as a performer, but adds that he had help from "great musical people" like Quincy Jones. "You can argue whether it’s Quincy who made Michael or Michael who made Quincy, but that was probably the single greatest musical alliance of all-time," he says.

He mentions rumours of an upcoming Jackon 5 show in Vegas, as well as a new album from Michael, both of which Walsh felt Jackon was unable for. He tells how "mentally and physically, the man was fucked."

See the full interview in the new Hot Press, out Thursday, including why Walsh says Jackson's death was a great career move, how his famous friends reacted to the news, and why he feels Michael "ruined himself".

The Hot Press Newsdesk