Michael Jackson knew he wouldn't live to see his children grow up.

According to the 'Thriller' hitmaker's former bodyguard Matt Fiddes, the star - who passed away in 2009 - knew he was going to die without seeing his three children become adults.

Matt told Now magazine: ''Michael realised that he'd never live long enough to see [his three children] grow into adults.

''With the pressure of his London comeback concerts and his poor health, Michael wasn't in a good way at all. The drugs and drinking had taken their toll on his body both mentally and physically.''

The singer apparently voiced the eerie concerns about not seeing his children - sons Prince Michael, 16, and Blanket, 11, and 15-year-old daughter Paris - grow older just days before his death.

Matt revealed: ''At his lowest ebb, when we spoke, he voiced his fears and just days later he passed.

''The children were his life and he hated the fact that he wouldn't be there to protect and nurture them. I think he felt he'd failed them.''

And the 34-year-old bodyguard - who worked with Michael when he visited the UK - also explained the star shared a deep bond with his children and would have been ''distraught'' over his daughter's recent attempt to take her own life.

He added: ''He would've been distraught over her suicide attempt. But he felt equally as close to Prince and Blanket.''