John McClain, Co-Executor of Michael Jackson Estate and Longtime Music Executive, Dies at 71

May 27, 2026 7:54am PT John McClain, Co-Executor of Michael Jackson Estate and Longtime Music Executive, Dies at 71

By Jem Aswad

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Jem Aswad

Executive Editor, Music

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John McClain, the veteran music executive who was co-executor of the Michael Jackson estate and helped engineer the financial recovery of the singer’s legacy and properties, died Monday due to complications from a fall, a rep for the estate confirms. He was 71.

Estate co-executor John Branca said in a statement: “I am profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and brother John McClain. One of the great innovators in the world of music and music marketing, John was a visionary, seeing past the mundane and into the future.

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