10 troubled, triumphant years for the Michael Jackson estate

LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Branca, the entertainment lawyer who guided Michael Jackson through some of the highest points of his career when the King of Pop was alive, says it was “exhilarating” but “daunting” to learn that he would be largely responsible for the singer’s legacy after Jackson’s untimely death 10 years ago.

Branca says he and his team quickly identified two priorities for Jackson’s estate: erasing Jackson’s massive debts and restoring his image as an artist. He says Jackson’s popularity remains intact, despite the release of a documentary earlier this year that included two men’s graphic allegations they were molested as boys by the superstar.

Branca likens the “Leaving Neverland” documentary to a tropical storm that has “passed” and says the singer is “alive and well and living everywhere in the world.”

The estate has erased Jackson’s debts, and earned more than $1 billion.