Father of Jackson Accuser Ended Life Alone, in Pain
Evan Chandler Was Estranged from Son Jordie, an Alleged Jackson Molestation Victim, When He Committed Suicide
By LUCHINA FISHER
Nov. 18, 2009—
The suicide of the father of one of Michael Jackson's alleged molestation victims was not related to Jackson's recent death but most likely stemmed from his longtime debilitating illness, according to sources close to the family.
Evan Chandler, 65, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head, according to Jersey City, N.J., police who found him in his luxury waterfront apartment on Nov. 5.
A onetime Beverly Hills dentist, Chandler was the father of Jordie Chandler, now 29, who was paid a reported $20 million by Jackson to stop speaking about his claims that he was abused during sleepovers with the King of Pop in 1992, when Jordie was 12. His parents reportedly received $1.5 million each as part of the settlement, according to Diane Dimond, author of "Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case."
Dimond told ABCNews.com that Chandler was suffering from a rare metabolic disorder called Gaucher disease, a hereditary condition most prevalent in the Ashkenazi Jewish population.
The disease causes a slow, painful deterioration and if left untreated can be excruciating. Dimond said Chandler, who was also bipolar, did not take care of his condition.:o Moreover, Chandler was estranged from Jordie, his two ex-wives, his children from his second marriage, and his two brothers.
Evan Chandler with second wife Nathalie, sons Nikki and Jordie.
"He had pushed everybody away," Dimond said. "He was very sick. He needed crutches to get around. He couldn't earn money on his own. He had spent all his money. All he had was a monthly stipend from the son (Jordie) who wouldn't talk to him."
Dimond said the cop who responded to Chandler's apartment found medication and medical paraphernalia all over the room, indicating that Chandler was a "very ill man in a lot of pain."
Chandler's troubles began years earlier, even before Jordie met Jackson, according to Victor Gutierrez, author of "Michael Jackson Was My Lover: The Secret Diary of Jordan Chandler."
"This family did not fall apart right after the settlement," Gutierrez told ABCnews.com. "This family was dysfunctional way before."
Chandler was already divorced from Jordie's mother June Chandler Schwartz when Jordie met Jackson. The pop star's car had broken down on a busy Los Angeles street close to the rental car agency owned by Jordie's stepfather David Schwartz. Jordie rushed to the agency to meet his idol.
Everything changed when Jackson entered the picture, Gutierrez said. June Schwartz, a frustrated model, and Evan Chandler, an aspiring screenwriter who had some success with the screenplay for "Robin Hood: Men in Tights,"
were both trying to make it in show business, Gutierrez said.
Jordie, who Gutierrez said was neglected by both parents -- both had remarried and started new families -- may have found a father figure in Jackson. Chandler later accused June Schwartz of effectively prostituting their son, whom she would drop off for weekends at Jackson's Neverland Ranch or his "hideout" in Century City.
Chandler sued for custody of their son and won. Jordie broke off all contact with his mother.
In Jackson's 2005 molestation trial in which the singer was acquitted on all charges, Schwartz would later testify that she felt she had put her son in harm's way and he no longer spoke to her.
"I watched his mother testify," Jim Thomas, the former Santa Barbara, Calif., sheriff overseeing Jordie's case, told ABCNews.com. "And it was torturous. She was pained by the loss of connection. It was sad to watch."
Eventually, Chandler left his second wife and their children, Nikki and Emmanuele, and moved to New York with Jordie. The relationship between father and son was contentious.
They fought constantly over money, according to Dimond. Chandler had squandered his but Jordie's was safe in a trust and continued to grow, earning him tens of millions more.
In 2006, the squabbling reached a flashpoint. Dimond said Chandler picked up a 12-pound dumbbell and hit Jordie on the head and sprayed him with mace.
Jordie took out a permanent restraining order. Father and son sued each other, eventually agreeing to a settlement in which Jordie would pay his father a monthly allowance for the next six to eight years.
Dimond said Chandler, who was alone and in pain,
may have seen the end of the monthly stipend coming and decided life was no longer worth living.
Jordie, along with his mother, is handling the funeral arrangements for Chandler, according to Dimond.
She said mother and son reconnected about a year ago, and Jordie moved his base of operation closer to her in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Jordie is "a master of staying underground," remaining outside the media's glare. With no worry about money, he travels constantly, skiing and piloting his own plane.
"He's big and tall, handsome and athletic," Dimond said. "He lives simply. He's not a flashy kid at all. I think ultimately he's doing all right. He may be the most balanced of that whole family."
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