Omer Bhatti, now 25, sat front and center at the King of Pop's memorial earlier this month, and is currently staying at the Jackson family home in Encino, Calif.
Michael Jackson had a close relationship with his own three children, but he also mentored many other youngsters over the years – including Omer Bhatti, a young musical talent who was particularly close to the singer.
A Norwegian performer, Bhatti was a fixture at Jackson's Neverland ranch after the two met in Europe in the mid-1990s, when Bhatti was around 11, according to several sources.
As for Bhatti, he more than lived up to his nickname – dressing and moving just like Michael.
"I could tell little Michael idolized him," says Harlow. "[Omer] would say things like, 'I'm going to be a millionaire by the time I'm 20.' He was super ambitious; I remember he was very talented, and Michael would always say that."
Though many viewed Jackson's close relationship with children as inappropriate – he was tried on molestation charges, and acquitted, in 2005 – Harlow says Neverland holds only good memories for him.
"I would hang out at his place all the time, and we'd be dancing in front of the mirror together," Harlow, now 26, remembers. "One day and he turned to me and said, 'You've got a lot of nerve.' To him that meant I'm a bold person. I'm going to keep that in my heart."
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