Michael Jackson Almost Died on 9/11 Attacks — Before A Bizarre Twist of Fate Saved Him

Late pop icon Michael Jackson thanked his lucky stars after narrowly escaping the tragic 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center in New York. It’s been 23 years since the spine-chilling incident shook the world, and the nation soon came together in remembrance of the tragedy that caused 2,997 fatalities and a lifelong of shivers. But the "King of Pop" and his family were fortunate to escape a massive setback, as mentioned in the biography You Are Not Alone: Michael: Through a Brother’s Eyes. The book was written by his elder brother and recording artist, Jermaine Jackson, in 2012.

A surprising turn of events protected Michael from being one of the victims of September 9, 2001. His brother, Jermaine, now 69, shared an anecdote in the biography about MJ not making it to a meeting at the World Trade Center on the very day of the attacks by militant Islamist group al-Qaeda.

At the time, Michael was performing his 30th Anniversary Solo All-Star show for two dates in New York. The shows took place on September 7 and September 10 at Madison Square Garden, featuring some big names from the entertainment sphere. The Beat It musician's celebratory concert also saw performances by Britney Spears, Liza Minnelli, and Gloria Estefan while Macaulay Culkin and Elizabeth Taylor graced the occasion. 

Michael was scheduled for a meeting at the Trade Center only hours after the culmination of his final show. However, he failed to make it to the appointment since he overslept that morning. In the book, Jermaine revealed that Michael was up until late chatting with his mother, Katherine, 94, and sister, Rebbie, 74, so he was too exhausted to get up early the next morning and decided to skip the meeting. “Thankfully, none of us had had a clue that Michael was due at a meeting that morning at the top of one of the Twin Towers,” Jermaine wrote.

Later on, Katherine called Michael’s hotel to check if he was okay when his siblings discovered the potential threat to their famous brother’s life. Jermaine added, “She, Rebbie [Jackson], and a few others had left him there around 3 am.” Recalling the conversation between Michael and their mother, Jermaine stated in his book, “‘Mother, I’m okay, thanks to you. You kept me up talking so late that I overslept and missed my appointment.’” 

The Billie Jean singer was thankful to her for indirectly saving his life. But he was aware of the gory fatalities and composed the song, What More Can I Give, to pay tribute to the thousands of victims. The song was part of the post-attack charity concert, 'United We Stand: What More Can I Give,' in Washington D.C., per Smooth Radio. Eight years later, Michael passed away due to cardiac arrest reportedly caused by a drug overdose. He was 50. Besides Jackson, there were other celebrities who could have been potential victims of the attacks including Rob Lowe, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Mark Wahlberg, per a report by the Mirror.