THE late King of Pop Michael Jackson set foot only once in Malaysia, yet he gave many Malaysians a moment to cherish forever.
One such Malaysian was Syed Yusof Wafa, who served as a publicist for Jackson's first-ever concert here at Stadium Merdeka in October 1996, part of his acclaimed HIStory World Tour.
Known in the industry as Syed Wafa, he said despite being a superstar with a legion of die-hard fans around the world, Jackson was incredibly shy, soft-spoken and one of the friendliest persons he had ever met.
"I got to meet MJ (Michael Jackson) a few times during his brief stay at Concorde Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, and each time we met, he made me feel great. He's such a humble and friendly person."
He also counted himself as one of the very lucky few who had the opportunity to take photos with his pop idol, apart from presenting Jackson with a special artwork, which he took a week to create.
"MJ loved that drawing and readily autographed it. In his thank-you message to me, he reminded me to always love the children for they are our future."
Syed Wafa said he had a close relationship with businessman and Concorde Hotel owner Tan Sri Syed Yusof Syed Nasir, which allowed him access to his favourite superstar.
"Over the years, I've covered several concerts involving famous entertainers from the West, and they included Kenny G and German rock band The Scorpions during their visits to Malaysia.
"But none of them could measure up to the magnetic showmanship of MJ. His spellbinding concert in Stadium Merdeka was in a class of its own, a dream come true.
"But better than the concert, I got to talk to the great man himself, and I was over the moon meeting the Moonwalker."
Syed Wafa also remembered that close to 30 children were invited to Jackson's suite on the 18th floor of Concorde Hotel.
"Many of them were underprivileged children. Even though their meeting with MJ was brief, he showered them with special gifts.
"As for the adults, a smaller number of us met and greeted him in a private room at the hotel. He did not talk much to us, but when each of us greeted him, he flashed a warm, friendly smile."
Syed Wafa described Jackson as a "tall, lanky man" with "fair and rosy" skin.
"He was in good spirits and very attentive. He asked me, 'How did you like the show?' and I replied 'I loved it, thank you so much, Michael, I'm so happy to see you'."
Syed Wafa, now working as a freelance entertainment journalist, admitted that Jackson's security personnel were "super strict" in dealing with his excited fans, who had gathered outside the hotel to catch a glimpse of him.
"They gave me several dos and don'ts when meeting MJ. When Tan Sri and I saw him on the day he arrived at the hotel, no photography was allowed.
"It was only till after the concert that I managed to talk to him and have a couple of photos taken with him," he said.
Syed Wafa, who listed Jackson's earlier songs (with The Jackson Five) including I'll Be There, Ben and One Day In Your Life as his favourites, also enjoyed his later hits, such as Beat It, Thriller and Billie Jean.
He described the meeting with Jackson as the "most surreal moment" of his life.
"I never for once thought MJ would stop by in KL during his HIStory World Tour in 1996. Thank God he did.
"There will only be one Michael Jackson, and even though he is gone, he will live on forever in my heart... in all our hearts."