John McClain, a co-executor of Michael Jackson’s estate, died Tuesday at the age of 71, Page Six can confirm.
We’re told the veteran music executive had major health issues and was sick for a long time, with one source claiming he had cancer.
According to TMZ, who was first to report the news, he died in Malibu, California.
McClain and entertainment attorney John Branca were named co-executors of Jackson’s estate following the King of Pop’s death in July 2009.
Jackson was in debt to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars when he died unexpectedly at the age of 50 from acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication.
McClain and Branca were able to generate billions in revenue through music, licensing, film, theatrical productions and catalog exploitation.
Specific projects and deals tied to the estate under McClain and Branca include the October 2009 concert documentary “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” the Michael Jackson: One by Cirque du Soleil permanent resident show in Las Vegas, which has been running since 2013, the 2014 posthumous album “Xscape” and the recently released “Michael” biopic.
McClain handled more of the creative side of things and was often praised for maintaining Jackson’s artistic integrity posthumously, while Branca’s focus has been on legal and transactional matters.
However, Jackson’s family members — especially his daughter, Paris Jackson — have publicly challenged aspects of the executors’ management and compensation.
In July 2025, the 28-year-old sued McClain and Branca, 75, for unauthorized or poorly documented payments, including to themselves.
Though the pair have consistently denied wrongdoing, Paris scored a legal win last week when a judge ordered $625,000 in bonus payments be returned to the estate.
It’s unclear whether a new co-executor will be appointed, and reps for the duo did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Not much is known about McClain’s personal life, but he worked in A&R for decades and had deep roots in black pop and R&B development.
Notably, he was closely associated with Jackson’s sister Janet Jackson’s breakthrough era and worked with artists like Ice Cube and Dr. Dre.
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