For Vanity Fair Italia's Michael Jackson remembrance issue, Nicoletta Mantovani shared an anecdote about the first time that she & Pavarotti met the pop star, and knowing only of him from the gossip she had read in the newspapers...his mysophobia, his quirkiness, and his face masks.
Before the meeting, she warned her husband that his warm, intimate handshakes and slap-happy hugs would probably not be appreciated by Jackson (or his bodyguards), and to behave himself accordingly. However:
"Michael opened the door in a white t-shirt and jeans, all alone, and immediately ran up to greet Luciano. He sat on the couch right between us and started to speak with the enthusiasm of a little boy. After a few minutes, Luciano looked at me from under his glasses, and in dialect, said [in effect]: "What a load of crap you told me!"
Smooooth criminal! We're fond of the 2007 photo from the L'Uomo Vogue archives by Bruce Weber (Roberto Bolle's BFF) which accompanied the quote.