Longtime Friend Frank Cascio Said Jackson Would Sneak Off to N.J. for Shopping and Housecleaning

"He would come with no security and nannies," Cascio, 28 said. "That's when he was himself."

Cascio said Jackson paid his family such a visit earlier this year and got a lot of joy from the pleasures of a simpler life.

"He would even help my mom vacuum the rug," he said. "He would, like, help clean up the house. And he was just a real human being."

Cascio said the two would even sneak off to hit the local stores or have dinner unnoticed.

"Sometimes we would sneak out ... with no security," he said. "And I would get him all dressed up in disguises."

"You know," Cascio continued, "everyone can walk down the street and go shopping. And, you know, we take that for granted, but he could never do that."

Cascio also praised Jackson as "the perfect father."

"He was the greatest father in the world to those kids," he said.

Cascio also remarked on Jackson's close relationship with his mother, Katherine Jackson, who now has custody of Prince Michael I, 12; Paris-Michael Katherine, 11; and Prince Michael II, 7, known as Blanket.

Cascio said he believes his good friend would be "very humbled" by the outpouring of grief and love from his fans.

Cascio met Jackson when he was 5 years old, and the two maintained a steadfast friendship that outlasted the highs and the lows. He worked as Jackson's personal assistant and traveled with the icon all over the world.