King Of Pop's Conversion Finally Put To Rest

A rumor that even forced a prominent Muslim-American cleric to retract his statement has finally been put to rest: Michael Jackson was not a Muslim at the time of his death.

The King of Pop's older brother finally ended long standing rumors of Michael Jackson's conversion to Islam in an interview with Dubai-based Al- Arabiya television.

Jermaine Jackson, who embraced Islam in the late 1980s, said his brother "was close to converting" at the time of his death but he never made the "announcement" of faith out loud.

But nearly as swiftly as Jermaine ended questions of his brother's faith, he opened another door for speculation.

"Maybe he made (the deceleration of faith) in his soul," Jermaine Jackson told Al Arabiya after he was pressed further about what his brother's feelings towards Islam.

Regardless of what Michael Jackson felt when he breathed his last words, Jermaine Jackson says he believed Islam would have protected the pop star from a lot of heartache in his otherwise "difficult" life.

The "Thriller" hit maker -- who always had a special connection with parts of the developing Muslim world -- had moved to the Middle East towards the end of his life, partly on his brother's urging.

Check out the entire interview below, broken up into three parts.