Um, duh? Isn't this why he entered into a joint venture with Neverland, and they removed the rides?

I might not have platinum records and an amusement park but at least I can qualify for a home loan.

Ha!

Meg, thank you for using an older MJ photo, and not any of the freakish recent ones from the last ten years.

@Oranges w/ Cheese in rainy Central FL: It had nothing to do with Neverland Ranch or Disney. He didn't do it to make money - Neverland Ranch was his home, and a private amusement park. Disney did it as a personal favor to him, and promptly removed the rides because the agreement regarding the rides was between the company and Michael Jackson. Disney did not want the next owner of Neverland Ranch to have the rides.

that is my exact credit score right now, as i am trying to get rid of some crap i don't actually owe. hilarious.

@pattiesmart: (It's like 562 or something.)

@pecan 3.14159265: Amen, Sista!

@Oranges w/ Cheese in rainy Central FL: Also wanted to add that he named it Neverland Ranch. It wasn't as if Neverland was a company.

@pecan 3.14159265: So, what you're saying is that the more recent photographs are BAD?

Having tons of money doesn't automatically make you financially responsible, and since credit scores are a mostly a show of how responsible you are. Sadly, I'd expect quite a number of entertainers and sports stars to have shaky credit. Why do you think so many of them end up bankrupt as soon as their career ends, and some even before that? They're known for spending lavishly and wastefully, making mostly bad financial decisions, and trusting the wrong people.

@wagenejm: Word to the wise :) When you rearrange your post, go back and proofread it again just to make sure your changes didn't screw anything up. Haha!

@pattiesmart: Good luck with that. I've had less than stellar success at having a few incorrect items removed from my credit report that are totally messing up my credit score.

:(

The linked article does not provide any verification of the source for the score.

@G.O.B.: Come on!: They are Dangerous.

@G.O.B.: Come on!: @MostlyHarmless: They are Off the Wall Bad and Dangerous.

@Trencher93: Hahahaha.

@pecan 3.14159265: Arent you the invincible one.

@msbask: I had some good luck with it - what process are you following?

Who cares what his credit score is? It's time the public stopped the demand for information like this.

@MostlyHarmless: I wish this article had been posted by Ben so my post would actually be relevant.

LAME - TMZ is lame ass

@wagenejm: Credit scores are just a reflection of how well you pay bills to the institutions that report to the 3 credit agencies. Yes, that can generally be an indicator of fiscal responsibility, but it's not always. *Insert personal anectdote* My dad had a friend that was a trucker and had always paid cash for everything. He wanted to buy a sports car and decided to try to finance it. He got denied, so he told the dealer to have the car ready, went to his bank, pulled out cash, and bought the car outright. If you save up cash for everything you buy you'll have no credit history, which is almost as bad as crappy credit history.

@wesa: Clearly, you don't understand the public fascination with celebrity. It's a sad and dangerous thing, yes, but OH DEAR GOD WHY CAN'T WE LOOK AWAY?!

@pecan 3.14159265: Sure you can. It's not too hard.

@pecan 3.14159265: I love that.

@wesa: You're right. However, it does feel good that my long letter-writing campaign demanding to know Michael Jackson's credit score got results.

@HiPwr: my celebrities are like the animals in animal farm, all are created equally, but some are more equal than others.

I think bad credit was one of the least of his problems. He was an entertainer and he spent on some weird stuff (those matching chimp outfits couldn't have come cheap), but he had assets to cover his debts if necessary. At the same time, I don't blame Barney's or any other company for not wanting to extend too much credit to him for fear of delinquency. Conclusion: none.

@pecan 3.14159265: That's so Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.

@wesa: I think it's like "the game"...you're telling us to look away...it's not hard to look away...but yet, you look to tell us. Like "the game".

This is hardly a surprise: in the last decade of his life, MJ was the target of numerous lawsuits for unpaid bills.

Isn't this kind of thing supposed to be private? Just because he's a celebrity (and dead) doesn't mean that all of his personal info is now fair game.

The worst part of this entire article is that I immediately mistook the Bad album for the Weird Al parody "Even Worse" album.

I think that says a little too much about my childhood upbringing.

Although as far as this article is concerned, I don't think this is much of a surprise to anyone. He was in a lot of money trouble the past few years, and it wasn't exactly a secret.

Uh, due to the recent tape that surfaced, shouldn't this be Michael Jackson HAS bad credit?

Wasn't this widely known for years before he died. It was part of the reason why the Beatles catalog was used as collateral towards loans.

@pecan 3.14159265: The new photos are like something out of a Thriller

Since he had bad credit, I'm not so ashamed of my own bad credit.

@pecan 3.14159265: I would come up with more punny references but I have to take a Wiz.

@wagenejm: You pointed it out and I still can't find the error.

@GitEmSteveDave_♥'sRenegadeIrishman: Ha, I saw that last night. I'll believe it when he comes up to me and says "Hi there, I'm Michael. It's good to see you."

On second thought....

@Smashville_makes his own comments at home: I just lost "the game"

@pecan 3.14159265: Maybe now that he's gone we can finally Heal the World from the sight of the newer pictures.

Heh.. If he applied for a loan where I work he would get rejected.

No surprise. The guy killed himself with drugs. He was a knucklehead. About 12 years ago, I worked for a finance company that dealt with many so-called rich, famous people. At least 1/3 of those "rich people" had poor credit. They stiffed many companies. ... By the way, after 2 months, isn't it time to bury this guy, already?

@korybing: Weird Al is my hero.

@Mr.Duke: Of course not. Was he any less of a star than Elvis or Marilyn?

I still have no pity for this idiot. At what point do you stop being weird and cross over into the "threat" category? I'll give you a hint: Jesus Juice and sleeping with other people's kids.

@HogwartsAlum: That's ignorant. You're saying ignorant things.

@Mr.Duke:

A rather shady friend of my father's used to (and probably still does - I just haven't talked to or asked about the guy in the better part of a decade) run some ever-so-slightly dubious financing company. His clientele was pretty much entirely made up of people making the most of their fifteen minutes of fame, or those whose rather-more-than-fifteen minutes didn't seem to have helped their bank balance or money management skills much. I grew up hearing the guy blab his mouth after one too many drinks over dinner about which one-hit-wonder was buying a Lamborghini this week, and which Z-list celeb was about to get their diamond-encrusted (OK, so I exaggerate here) Roller repo'ed on Monday. The guy was, well, a friend of my Dad's.

Mmmm, the 80s. Classy times.