'This is It' Lead Guitarist Talks On MJ

Orianthi Panagaris attained global fame as the blonde guitarist in Michael Jackson's final rehearsal before his death and is respected throughout the music world for her prodigious talent.

While recording her first professional solo album, Believe, which will be released on October 27, Orianthi was chosen as lead guitarist on Jackson's comeback tour.

She said the three months spent rehearsing with the megastar were the highlight of her career.

He was wonderful, really sweet and a perfectionist. Obviously he was older but he was keeping up with the 20-year-old dancers."

He'd been told to rest his voice but he couldn't help it and was singing. He was Michael Jackson. He could do whatever he wanted but he had no ego, he had a presence but he had no front and would joke around and have fun."

Despite her involvement with the tour she first learned of his death in the same manner most did - online.

I was following MJ news on Twitter while talking to my parents on Skype and saw it coming up that he had been taken to hospital."

But when the reports said he'd died I thought they'd gone too far, I didn't believe it. It was a really crazy day. We all went to the Staples Centre [for rehearsals] and everything was being pulled down. We walked in and it was like, this is real. Everyone was crying. [The show] was his vision. The stuff that went into it, the props, the outfits - the show would have been phenomenal."

Source: MJFC / Sunday Mail