I had little Ryan White in my dining room telling his Mother at the table, “Mother, when you bury me, I don’t want to be in a suit and tie.” He said, “Don’t put me in a suit and tie. I want to be in jeans and a T-shirt.” I said, “Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom.” And I ran to the bathroom and I cried. Imagine a 12-year-old boy telling his mother how to bury him.

~Michael Jackson

This video is of Ryan White’s Mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, being interviewed after Michael Jackson’s death. She reflects on their special times and how she perceived Michael.

Hear phone conversation between Ryan and Michael

See scrapbook Ryan’s Mother made of their times with Michael

From Wikipedia:

Ryan Wayne White (December 6, 1971 – April 8, 1990) was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States after being expelled from school because of his infection. A hemophiliac, he became infected with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment and, when diagnosed in 1984, was given six months to live. Though doctors said he posed no risk to other students, AIDS was poorly understood at the time, and when White tried to return to school, many parents and teachers in Kokomo rallied against his attendance. A lengthy legal battle with the school system ensued, and media coverage of the struggle made White into a national celebrity and spokesman for AIDS research and public education. He appeared frequently in the media with celebrities such as Elton John, Michael Jackson and Phil Donahue. Surprising his doctors, White lived five years longer than predicted and died in April 1990, shortly before he would have completed high school.

Michael attended Ryan’s funeral. He bought the jeans and shirt Ryan wanted to wear when he was buried. After Ryan’s death, Michael Jackson asked permission from his Mother to write a song for Ryan. The result was this video, “Gone Too Soon”.

Usher sings “Gone Too Soon” at Michael Jackson’s Memorial.