<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I didn't know Dave Dave passed away. That's so sad. Michael loved him so much. R.I.P. Dave Dave. �� <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MichaelJackson?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MichaelJackson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mjfam?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mjfam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MOONWALKERS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MOONWALKERS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mjeveryday?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mjeveryday</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MJForever?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MJForever</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MJJCommunity?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MJJCommunity</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mjj?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mjj</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DaveDave?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DaveDave</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ripdavedave?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ripdavedave</a> <a href="https://t.co/gqSJlxkHnj">pic.twitter.com/gqSJlxkHnj</a></p>— MJ-Upbeat (@BonnieLamrock) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonnieLamrock/status/1030471608325099520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">17. August 2018</a></blockquote>
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Dave became globally famous for surviving an horrific attack by his father aged six in 1983.
Following an argument with Dave's mother Marie, Charles Rothenberg gave his young son a sleeping pill, doused the bed in their Buena Park, California motel room with kerosene and set the bed, the room and Dave on fire.
He then watched the blaze from a telephone booth across the street.
Miraculously, Dave defied the odds by surviving even though 90 per cent of his body was burned.
Most of his childhood was spent undergoing intensive hospital treatments and having painful skin grafts.
He later made headlines when King of Pop Michael Jackson became close friends with him, even employing him as part of his staff in the 1980s.
Jackson instantly connected with Dave after they met talking about his paintings.
Dave said at the time: 'Michael told me I was the greatest artist in the world.'
Dave's friend Bowman said Jackson treated Dave like a younger brother and always invited him to Neverland for days on end.
'Michael even employed Dave to take photos and write journals for him,' he said.
'Many people don't know that Dave worked closely on Disney's Captain Eo film co-creating the visuals with the star.
'When Michael asked if he wanted a credit on the movie, Dave said: "No thanks, you are my friend.''
'The Jackson family respected him so much that he was a guest at their private funeral for Michael.'