High Priced Papa
By ANDREW GREINER
Updated 2:41 PM CDT, Fri, Aug 14, 2009
The Mayor of Gary rejected claims that Joe Jackson was paid to attend a memorial for his famous son Michael.
Earlier today it was revealed that the guy who was pimping his new record company during a press conference about his son's death may have charged the broke-down city of Gary, Indiana -- the Jackson family's hometown, no less -- a $5,000 fee to show up to a memorial for his son, according to the Merriville Post-Tribune. But the Mayor Rudy Clay said he was only paid for travel.
"Anyone who says Joe Jackson was paid to attend his son's memorial is telling the biggest lie ever told in the history of the world," said Clay.
Jackson and musical group the Chi-Lites we're only paid for travel expenses getting to the memorial at the U.S. Steel Yard Baseball stadium honoring MJ. The Chi-Lites are based in Midlothian, Ill., about 25 miles west of Gary.
The money was reportedly to be split between Joe Jackson, the group and its lead singer, Marshall Thompson, but Thompson refutes that.
"Nobody received no money," Thompson said. "They offered to pay our expenses. Joe didn't get nothing."
What is clear is that the city, once an economic powerhouse but lately scraping the barrel of economic doldrums didn't profit from the event. In fact, the event probably cost the city about $2,300.
First Published: Aug 14, 2009 9:08 AM CDT on NBC Chicago
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