A Michael Jackson impersonator has taken his love of the star to extremes by spending thousands on plastic surgery including using acid to whiten his skin and treatment to help him reach higher notes when singing.
Antonio Gleidson Rodrigues, 32 from Brazil, has spent around £2,000 on a series of cosmetic procedures and has even had rhinoplasty to imitate the King of Pop’s botched nose job.
Each day he spends around four hours rehearsing his dance moves and one and a half hours applying make up before showtime.
As the self-proclaimed number one Michael Jackson impersonator in Brazil, he draws stares and screams in his hometown of Fortalenza as girls rush for a picture and an autograph.
Gleidson Jackson, as he likes to be known, said: “In 2009 I went into the operating theatre and had my nasal septum corrected which allowed me to reach the higher notes.
“I wasn’t able to reach notes like Michael before but after surgery I can now sing some notes in falsetto.”
After his first surgery Gliedson had hyaluronic acid injected into his face, which had a whitening effect and botox injections to enhance the area under his eyes.
He also had surgery to close the gaps in his teeth and had his eyebrows tattooed.
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If the gigs keep coming, the Brazilian Jacko is planning on spending the proceeds on even more surgery.
He said: “If I can afford it in the future, I am thinking of working on my cheekbones so I can get rid of the wrinkles along my mouth – I also want to have my eyebrows arched.
“I would like to have my forehead tattooed and have my nose made even slimmer.”
He was encouraged to become Brazil’s number one Michael Jackson impersonator when he was just 19 after his drama students suggested he looked like the Motown star.
He added: “It was tough, they teased me for around 15 days and the mothers of the children even got involved.
“By the end of it I was caught up – I had the bug.”
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Michael Jackson Lookalike
While some people think his behavior may border on the obsessive, Gleidson thinks it is the greatest tribute he can pay to his idol.
“In my concerts I always say that no copy will ever be as good as the original,” he added.
“But I can always say that I will always try my best to achieve perfection – just like Michael.”
But his aunt, Maria Doriane Bastos de Souza, worries about the young impersonator.
She said: “He is obsessed, sometimes he will spend hours on the internet looking for things related to Michael Jackson.
“I worry for his health – I want him to come downstairs and eat a sandwich.
“I also worry when he goes into surgery, I never want him to feel disappointed and sometimes surgery doesn’t work out the way you would want it to.”
Jackson’s death in June 2009 rocked the world but there were few who felt it quite as much as Gleidson.
The former drama teacher added: “My reaction was absurd – I started to cry right away, I still don’t understand how this could have happened to Michael Jackson.
“He was a guy who used to drink juice and avoid energy drinks – how could he have died of an overdose.
“In my opinion, to lose that man – the greatest artist of all times – is a real tragedy for the world.
“There will never be another one like him – but I can try my best.”