London, June 24 (IANS) Michael Jackson’s sister LaToya claims that the King of Pop was murdered because he was ‘worth so much more dead than alive’.

LaToya Jackson insisted the ‘Thriller’ singer’s relatives and fans now deserve ‘the truth’ about his death.

‘I never had a doubt (he was murdered). You must remember from the day that I found out that Michael was no longer with us, when my mother screamed ‘he’s dead’ on the phone, I just went into this, ‘Who did it?” mirror.co.uk quoted her as saying.

‘Michael was murdered for his catalogue – that’s the bottom line. He was murdered for his catalogue and they knew that, and they knew Michael was much more, worth so much more dead than alive. His children deserve the truth. I think his parents deserve the truth, his family and his fans.’

‘Personally I think it is a slap in the face, not just to Michael but to the entire family. It’s totally unfair, it’s wrong and it was not an accident,’ she added.

Talking about her mother’s grief after Jackson’s death at the age of 50, she added: ‘I could see the pain and the sorrow in her eyes. But she was strong – she chose not to cry and I think she chose that for the children.’