‘Wiz’ legend Stephanie Mills defends Michael Jackson decades after dating him: ‘He would never do anything to a child’

nypost.com:

Michael Jackson, you don’t wanna be startin’ somethin’ with Stephanie Mills — the R&B legend who originated the role of Dorothy in the Tony-winning musical “The Wiz” 50 years ago.The 67-year-old diva — who dated Jackson in the ’70s — remains fiercely loyal to the King of Pop and protective of his legacy despite the child molestation allegations that he faced in 1993 and then again in 2003.The first case — in which Jackson was accused of molesting then-13-year-old Jordan Chandler — resulted an out-of-court settlement in January 1994, while the latter case resulted in the “Thriller” singer being found not guilty of all charges of sexual abuse of another minor, Gavin Arvizo, in a 2005 trial.Despite all of the ugly accusations against Jackson, famously documented in 2019’s “Leaving Neverland,” Mills is still rocking with him 15 years after his 2009 death at 50.“I loved him,” she told The Post. “We had a great friendship, a great relationship.

And I don’t like when people try to target what he’s built, you know? Because he … was not convicted of anything. And I knew him well.”The Grammy-winning songbird — who is currently back on Broadway in a musical for the first time since “The Wiz” as Hermes in the Greek-underworld folk opera “Hadestown” — continued, “He would never do anything to a child.

And I know that for a fact. So that’s why I keep his name alive and continue to post about him [on social media]. Because, you know, they like to forget about you and throw you away.

And how can they? He was one of the greatest entertainers in the world.”When the “Never Knew Love Like This Before” singer was passed over for Diana Ross to star as Dorothy in director Sidney Lumet’s 1978 film version of “The Wiz,” she wasn’t bitter about.