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Prince Jackson testifies against concert promoters in family’s lawsuit, reveals Jacko feared AEG ‘going to kill me’

LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s oldest son emerged from the shadows yesterday and gave dramatic testimony against concert promoters accused to driving The King of Pop to an early grave.

The Gloved One’s 16-year-old son Prince Michael said top AEG Live officials frequently telephoned the family’s house and berated MJ for not working hard enough to prepare for a string of 50 London concerts.

On more that one occasion, Jackson turned to his kids and said, “They are going to kill me! They are going to kill me!” in the weeks before The Gloved One died on June 25, 2009, Prince told rapt jurors.

Jackson and his three children lived in a rented LA mansion in 2009 as he prepared for the “This is It” concerts series set for London in 2009-10.

Prince, who rarely appears in public, told jurors that AEG Live boss Randy Phillips came to their home a day before Jackson died and had a serious chat with Dr. Conrad Murray.

The Doctor Feelgood is now in prison after his conviction for involuntary manslaughter. Jackson died from a lethal dose of anesthetics that he improperly used as sleep medication.

With Jackson at Staples Center rehearsing the day before his death, Phillips dropped to have a heated chat with Murray, according to Prince.

“He (Phillips) was speaking to him in hushed whispers. He was grabbing his elbow. It looked aggressive to me,” Prince said.

The snappily dressed teenager — in a dark blue suit and tie, with his shoulder-length black — told jurors he found the visit so unusual, he telephoned his dad to tell him about it.

“I came in and asked them if they’d like anything to drink or eat,” said Jackson’s oldest son, who was 12 at the time. “They said no, but I went into the kitchen to get them some chips and salsa.”

Prince’s revelation of Phillips’ face-to-face chat with Murray could be crucial to Jackson family claims against AEG Live.

The family is suing AEG, saying that Jackson was in failing health and the company didn’t do anything to help him — other than hiring the human prescription pad Murray.

AEG officials insist they didn’t hire Murray or have any control over him — an argument that could have damaged by Prince’s testimony.

The King of Pop’ s son said Jackson was dreading the upcoming concert run at London’s O2 Arena.

“He wasn’t happy with it,” Prince said.

Murray never signed a contract with AEG, but numerous e-mails by company officials referred to him as the Jackson’s doctor for the “This is It” tour.

AEG never got around to paying Murray, and Prince said MJ would often compensate the doctor out of his own pocket.

“My dad would give him couple hundred books for essentials — food, and gas money. He’d say, ‘I feel so bad for him because AEG won’t give him any money,’ “ Prince said.

“He [Jackson] felt bad for him [Murray]. Something was wrong with Dr. Murray’s finances. I don’t think he was getting paid for the work he was doing.”

The teenager described his idyllic childhood at Neverland and said he’s still haunted by Jackson’s death at the age of 50.

“I can’t sleep at night,” Prince told jurors. “Nothing will ever be the same.”

Jackson’s 15-year daughter and the witness’ sister, Paris, remains hospitalized from a failed suicide attempt earlier this month.

“From all of my siblings, she was hit the hardest,” Prince said. “She was my dad’s princess.”

Paris has refused to celebrate her birthday since MJ’s passing, according to Prince.

After court was adjourned for the day, Jackson family lawyer Brian Panish told reporters he was impressed by Prince’s calm and mature demeanor on the witness stand.

“He’s a nice, bright, young man who has a great future, and all of that is because of the father who raised him,” Panish said.

T.J. surprised the 12 jurors when he said he believed his uncle was murdered.

“He (Jackson) said he was going to be murdered on a couple of occasions. And because of his position he was a target,” T.J. said. “I always let that go in one ear and out the other when I was younger. But my mother was murdered, so I don’t put it past anyone.”

After an AEG lawyer tried to impugn T.J.’s altruism, by pointing out that he recently started being paid to be the children’s co-guardian, T.J. testified that he had been performing those services for free since Jackson’s death, and would gladly continue for free.

“I told my grandmother I didn’t even want the money,” T.J. said. “She convinced me, because I have kids, that I should accept it.”

Older brother Taj then took the stand and told how Jackson had built Neverland as a magical place for children, especially the terminally I’ll. “He felt that happiness could extend their life.”

Among the children Jackson befriended at Neverland were Ryan White, the HIV-positive teenager who was bullied in school, and David Rothenberg, whose father set him on fire to punish his ex-wife.

The courtroom lights were dimmed so the jury could see the music video of “Gone Too Soon,” Jackson’s song about Ryan White.

“That’s the legacy of my uncle, constantly trying to help people,” Taj said.

Additional reporting by David K.Li in New York