Joe Jackson hired Bill Bray as a security guard back in 1971, when Michael was still a kid in the Jackson 5. Nobody expected that hire to turn into one of the closest relationships of Michael’s life, but that’s exactly what happened.
Bray stuck around for over two decades, traveling with Michael through every tour, every overseas trip, every chaotic moment with screaming crowds outside.
In an old interview, Bray was asked about his bond with Michael, and he didn’t hold back. “I’M ALMOST LIKE A FATHER TO HIM”
He Was Like The Acting Father To Michael
He further added, “He’s there for me and I’m there for him. We have a very close friendship, not just a work relationship. He often depends on me.”
Coming from a man who spent his life guarding celebrities and staying out of the spotlight, that’s not something he said lightly.
It wasn’t just talk, either. In 1992, Michael wrote Bray a handwritten letter that surfaced years later. In it, Michael said Joseph never had time for him and only saw him as a way to make money.
Then he wrote something that says everything: thank you for being a father. He told Bray he didn’t know what would have happened to him without him around, and that he loved him.
Bill Bray – A Surrogace Dad To Michael Jackson
People who had a troubled childhood, and especially a strict father, would understand how Bill impacted Michael’s life by being a gentle figure to him.
The actor who plays Bray in the new “Michael” biopic also talked about how he built the role around that letter and a handful of old clips.
Bray passed away in 2005, four years before Michael. But for over twenty years, he gave Michael something his own father never could.