{"id":506382,"date":"2026-05-28T05:12:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T05:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/506382\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T05:12:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T05:12:24","slug":"john-mcclain-co-executor-of-michael-jacksons-estate-dead-at-71","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/506382\/","title":{"rendered":"John McClain, Co-Executor of Michael Jackson’s Estate, Dead at 71"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tJohn McClain, a co-executor of Michael Jackson<\/a>\u2018s estate, died in Los Angeles on Tuesday. He was 71. Diana Baron, a representative of the estate, confirmed McClain\u2019s death. The cause was complications from a fall.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter an illustrious career behind the scenes of the music industry, McClain became close to the Jackson family in the early Eighties, setting up Janet for superstardom. Michael Jackson named McClain as his estate executors, alongside lawyer John Branca, in his will. McClain was instrumental in guiding Jackson\u2019s posthumous resurgence, including the release of two albums of archival material, two Cirque du Soleil shows, the Broadway hit MJ: The Musical, various films and documentaries, and the recently released hit movie, Michael. Forbes<\/a> has reported that Jackson\u2019s estate has earned more than $3 billion since the singer\u2019s 2009 death.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI am profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and brother John McClain,\u201d Branca said in a statement. \u201cOne of the great innovators in the world of music and music marketing, John was a visionary, seeing past the mundane and into the future.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen we were named in Michael\u2019s will, I knew that he would bring great insight into Michael\u2019s music and that his friendship and dedication to Michael would underscore all the great projects that we could bring to the world,\u201d he continued. \u201cHe brought a passion and sense of conviction to all that he did and was the most generous of friends. It is difficult to imagine a world without him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe recently produced the MEGA HIT, Michael, and I\u2019m so happy that he got to witness its success before he passed!\u201d Tracey Edmonds, entertainment producer for Edmonds Entertainment, commented on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cHe was one of the smartest and wittiest men I ever met, but on-top of ALL THAT\u2026 he was such a KIND and THOUGHTFUL SOUL in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBorn in Los Angeles to parents who were part of the city\u2019s jazz scene and raised by his aunt, McClain\u2019s musical interests developed when he began taking piano lessons at age 3. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix, he switched to guitar in his teens and entered the Jackson family orbit, befriending Michael. McClain\u2019s guitar skills earned him a place in the R&B group the Silvers, becoming their musical director, and he subsequently played guitar in sessions for Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, and Shalimar.<\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

\n\tMaking headway in the music business, he assumed the role of director of Black music for A&M in 1984. While there, he signed the Human League, Atlantic Starr, and Jesse Johnson, among others. His biggest success was Janet Jackson.<\/p>\n

\n\tRecognizing the talents of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who were members of the Prince-associated funk group the Time, McClain fostered their budding production career, which had included recordings with Klymaxx, Patti Austin, and the S.O.S. Band, by linking them with Janet Jackson. She went from the 1984 album Dream Street, bowing at Number 147 on the Billboard Top 200 to a Number One hit with Control, which contained the hit title track and \u201cNasty,\u201d both of which Jackson co-wrote with the producers. They repeated the feat together in 1989 with Rhythm Nation 1814.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 1987, McClain told Spin <\/a>he felt he\u2019d received too much credit for Janet Jackson\u2019s resurgence and explained what his vision for her career was. \u201cI told her, \u2018Let Whitney [Houston] and Patti [LaBelle] sing their lungs out,\u201d he said. \u201cJust concentrate on being a female Michael Jackson, and you\u2019ll give the people something that\u2019s even more exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cJohn McClain put A&M; back on the map in a blink,\u201d Sylvia Rhone, chairwoman of Time Warner\u2019s Elektra Entertainment division, a competitor to A&M, told Los Angeles Times<\/a> in 1998. \u201cThe man is a genius.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter moving to Interscope in 1989, McClain helped inspire Dr. Dre to form his own Death Row Records label, playing the rapper\u2019s demo tape for Jimmy Iovine, and for Interscope to tap into gospel and R&B music with releases by Kirk Franklin and Teddy Riley. He returned to A&M in 1997, working with Atlantic Starr, Barry White, Ice Cube, Kurupt, and Shaquille O\u2019Neal in various capacities. A DreamWorks stint, which began in 2001, found him working with Ron Isley and Burt Bacharach.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 1998 Times article reported that he had negotiated a deal to bring Jackson\u2019s label into A&M, even though Jackson remained linked with Sony. They were also working on a Jackson 5 album at the time, as it was a year after their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The paper reported he was in the studio with the brothers with hopes of putting out an album by the end of the year, but the album never materialized.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen Michael Jackson died in 2009, he named McClain as one of the estate\u2019s co-executors alongside Branca, per a 2002 will. Jackson\u2019s mother, Katherine, initially fought their appointments, wanting to manage the estate herself and accusing them of conflicts of interest. Eventually a judge ruled that they would become the executors.<\/p>\n

\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n

\n\tMcClain, who kept a low profile and allowed Branca to become the estate\u2019s spokesman, helped organize the release of two posthumous albums, Michael (2010) and Xscape (2014), and worked with Branca on cultivating a legacy for the singer beyond albums with theatrical releases and movies. His most recent success was as a producer of Michael, the hit biopic, which Box Office Mojo<\/a> reports has brought in $321 million domestically since its April release.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m not the kind of guy who needs to take a survey to figure out whether a song is good or not,\u201d McClain told L.A. Times in 1998. \u201cI\u2019m a musician. And what I aim to do at A&M; is bring back the art form. I want this company to bring in great songwriters and players who know how to improvise. I want A&M; to create music that makes the hair on your forearms stand up.\u201d<\/p>\n