NEWSMichael Jackson's Estate Co-Executor Dead John McClain Dead at 71 Amid Legal Battle Against Late Singer's Daughter Paris
John McClain managed Michael Jackson's estate alongside attorney John Branca.
May 27 2026, Published 1:32 p.m. ET
John McClain, the veteran music executive and long-standing co-executor of Michael Jackson's estate, died on Tuesday, May 26, at the age of 71. A representative confirmed he passed away in Malibu, Calif., after battling a health illness for several years.
Named as a co-executor in the late superstar's 2002 will, McClain teamed up with attorney John Branca in 2009. They successfully erased hundreds of millions of dollars in debt and built a multibillion-dollar global empire.
He spearheaded monumental posthumous ventures, including the This Is It documentary, MJ The Musical on Broadway, Cirque du Soleil productions and the smash success box-office biopic Michael.
Who Was John McClain?
John McClain died at age 71 after battling an illness for several years.
Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Michael's nephew Jaafar as the King of Pop, was an unprecedented commercial smash.
The film completely exceeded industry predictions to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, easily surpassing the previous record held by Bohemian Rhapsody.
McClain personally produced several of Jackson’s posthumous tracks, such as "Love Never Felt So Good" and "Much Too Soon.”
Inside John McClain's Accomplishments
John McClain was involved in the 'Michael' biopic, which starred the late icon's nephew Jaafar.
Before managing the estate, he was an influential A&R executive at A&M Records.
He famously guided Janet Jackson’s breakthrough album Control and worked with legendary hip-hop figures like Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.
He also urged labels to sign fresh talent, including launching Mark Wahlberg's group, Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch.
The news was initially reported by TMZ, noting that while McClain had been ill for a long time, it is not yet officially confirmed if the illness directly caused his death.
Because he was fiercely private and preferred working behind the scenes, his passing marks the quiet loss of one of the chief architects of modern pop music history.
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John McClain worked with stars like Janet Jackson, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.
Michael’s daughter, Paris Jackson, 28, is currently locked in an intense, multimillion-dollar legal battle against Branca and McClain.
She has filed legal objections accusing them of financial mismanagement, lack of transparency and using the multibillion-dollar empire to enrich themselves.
Her team has publicly blasted the men for financial mismanagement, alleging they left $464 million uninvested and ran the estate like a "slush fund.”
Michael Jackson's daughter accused the estate of financial mismanagement.
The legal feud escalated significantly following a major court victory for Paris and the music executive's sudden passing.
In a ruling handed down by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, the court sided with the King of Pop's daughter.
The judge ordered the two men to return $625,000 in unapproved bonus payments they had disbursed to third-party law firms in 2018.
Following her win, Paris filed a follow-up procedural motion demanding an additional $463,752 from the executors to cover the interest accrued on the misappropriated funds.
