Who Is Tommy Mottola? What Kanye's West's Deleted Tweets About Michael Jackson Being Murdered Mean
Kanye West's deleted tweets potentially exposed a lot of people.
getty / getty In a series of since-deleted tweets, Kanye West made a number of allegations against Kris Jenner, his wife Kim Kardashian-West, and someone named “Tommy.”
In the deleted tweet, captured by screenshots, the mogul wrote, “MJ told you about Tommy before they killed him…”
West’s recent behavior, including a run for president and emotional outburst at a presidential rally, has fans wondering if Kanye is OK and why these tweets are being deleted so soon after being published — and by whom.
However, many fans suggest the deleted tweets aren’t disturbing, but truthful.
Despite not giving much context to the tweet and referencing the two people by initials and first name, fans believe the rapper is talking about Michael Jackson and Tommy Mottola.
Who is Tommy Mottola?
Tommy Mottola is a businessman and former CEO & Chairman of Sony Music and current Chairman of Mottola Media Group. Mottola worked for Sony from 1988 through 2003, during which time he signed huge names like Celine Dion, Shakira, and Mariah Carey (whom he was married to from 1993 to 1998).
"I think he was a genius and ... I don't think we'll be able to see what Tommy Mottola did again because it's definitely a different business out there," artist Emilio Estefan told Billboard in 2013. "He definitely wrote a chapter in the music business that I don't think will be done again."
However, not everyone thinks so highly of Mottola.
Ex-wife Mariah Carey once said being married to the former Sony CEO was akin to being “a child bride.”
“It was very controlled. There was no freedom for me as a human being. It was almost like being a prisoner,” she revealed.
She is not the only one to speak ill of Mottola. Michael Jackson once famously went on a rant about Mottola and the music industry as a whole.
Details about the Michael Jackson & Tommy Mottola feud
In 2002, Jackson delivered a speech calling Mottola a “racist” and describing him as “very very very devilish.”
A lengthy Facebook post discusses the strained relationship between Jackson and Sony.
In the early 2000s, Jackson was working on his album Invincible under the Sony label. He reportedly believed he would soon own the licenses to his music and be able to keep all of the profits.
However, that turned out to be untrue, causing Jackson to leave his contract with Sony and Invincible subsequently “failing” due to lack of promotion.
This led to a series of lawsuits over Jackson’s music catalog, causing him to believe that Sony sabotaged his career in order to gain control of the entire catalog for very little money.
“Record companies really really do conspire against their artists. They cheat, they do whatever they can,” Jackson said in his speech after leaving Sony.
Mottola, however, believes their relationship ultimately ended on good terms.
"That blew over and we ended up being great friends,” Mottola told Billboard in 2013.
Jackson eventually agreed to a comeback tour which was supposed to begin in July of 2009 despite his ailing health.
Unfortunately, Michael Jackson died in June 2009.
Was Michael Jackson murdered?
West’s allegation that Michael Jackson was murdered is not the first time the theory has bubbled up.
Two months after his passing, the coroner ruled Jackson’s death a homicide. His former doctor, Conrad Murray, was eventually found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after administering a lethal dose of propofol and lorazepam, among a cocktail of other drugs.
However, not everyone believes Jackson’s death was an accident.
In 2013, CNN reported that Jackson’s son Prince testified that Jackson would often cry on the phone to him after speaking with music executives.
“He would say 'They're going to kill me, they're going to kill me,’” Prince revealed at the trial, reflective of West’s claim that Jackson “told you about Tommy before they killed him.”
Jackson’s daughter Paris also reportedly believes her father was murdered.
“He would drop hints about people being out to get him,” she told Rolling Stone in 2017. “It sounds like a total conspiracy theory...but all real fans and everybody in the family knows it. It was a setup.”
This has caused many fans to believe that Jackson was killed for the rights to his music, which Sony eventually purchased in 2016.
Celebrity deaths often lead to conspiracy theories, which many people believe to be rooted in truth especially when someone within the industry — such as Kanye West — seemingly exposes them.
However, West's wife Kardashian-West has since come out with a statement asking fans to remember that he has a mental illness which leads to these erratic outbursts.
“As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder,” she wrote. “He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder. Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words do not align with his intentions.”
If you believe you or someone you know is suffering a mental health crisis, please contact the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Micki Spollen is an editor, writer, and traveler. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her travels on her website.