In 1983, six-year-old David Rothenberg survived an act that should have ended his life. During a bitter custody dispute, his father poured kerosene over him and set him on fire. David lived, but the attack left burns across most of his body, years of operations and emotional injuries that could not be treated inside an operating room.
Michael Jackson heard about the child and privately contacted his mother. When David was around seven, she took him to Michael’s home without revealing who was waiting inside. David entered an arcade, began playing his favorite racing game Pole Position and felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Michael Jackson standing behind him.
Dave Dave Says Michael Jackson Was Like a Father to Him
The two immediately embraced. Years later, David described that first meeting with four unforgettable words: “That embrace never ended.” Michael welcomed him into his life, remained in contact and opened Neverland whenever David needed somewhere to escape the operations, public attention and painful reactions to his appearance.
David eventually changed his name to Dave Dave to separate himself from his father’s crime and legacy. He also corrected a widely repeated part of the story. Michael did not pay his medical bills because his mother had strong insurance. What Michael offered was emotional support, acceptance and the dependable presence of a father figure. A separate backstage clip captures Dave preparing to say goodbye on the evening of Michael’s burial.
Dave Dave Remembers Michael Jackson Before His Burial
The second video was uploaded in 2025 and shows Dave speaking backstage before Michael was laid to rest on September 3, 2009. It leads naturally into his televised appearance on Larry King Live, where he explained that Michael had opened his arms to him as a child and had never let him go throughout their friendship.
Michael Jackson transformed popular music through his voice, dancing and visual imagination, but Dave Dave remembered something beyond the performances. He remembered a superstar who saw a frightened child beneath the scars and offered friendship without fear, judgment or pity. Watch both videos above to hear Dave reveal why Michael became almost like the father he never had.