CURSED BY JACKO; Convinced his son Jordy had been molested by Jacko, Evan Chandler set about bringing him to justice ... but he was the one destroyed.

Byline: RYAN PARRY

SLUMPED on his bed with a single bullet wound to the head, Evan Chandler was barely recognisable as the prominent Beverly Hills citizen he had once been.

The 65-year-old dentist who accused Michael Jackson of molesting his young son killed himself in his waterfront flat.

Police said he was still holding the .38-calibre revolver when his body was found on November 5. And as details of his death were released this week, it emerged his face had been mutilated by a string of cosmetic procedures.

He was also known to regularly use botox and cosmetic fillers in an obsessive DIY bid to enhance his fading looks. Neighbours say Chandler became a recluse in his last years, shutting himself inside the 16th-floor flat.

Police found five different prescription drugs in the apartment but was no suicide note. What's clear is Chandler died a broken man, gravely ill and estranged from his family.

A relative said: "Evan began to develop tremendous mood swings. He was always depressed. He stopped coming to family events because he was afraid of being recognised. That turned into permanent estrangement."

The tragedy is that Chandler's suicide can be directly linked to the allegations he fired at the King of Pop. Once a handsome, high-flying professional, Chandler saw his life turned upside down by his son Jordy's claims against Jackson.

In 1993, Chandler reported Jackson to the authorities, claiming the singer molested 13-year-old Jordy. A grand jury was convened to look into the charges.

CREEPY

Chandler claimed he became concerned about the star's relationship with his son after a number of creepy sleepovers and tried to get an order stopping Jackson from seeing Jordy. He blamed ex-wife June for letting their son visit Jacko in return for gifts and holidays.

And when Jordy finally told his dad Jacko HAD touched him intimately, Chandler claimed he had the evidence he needed and confronted Jacko.

Cops swooped on Neverland seizing videos, photos, diaries, and rolls of film. They also found an album of nude boys.

But Jackson countered it was a simple case of extortion. Youngsters were paraded to say they had slept in the same bed as Jacko but it was perfectly innocent.

Millions supported the star with Chandler and Jordy reviled worldwide.

Chandler then brought a civil case. The singer promptly settled for EUR17.9million and the police investigation was dropped when Jordy refused to testify. At the time Chandler said: "Perhaps this amount will convince Michael not to abuse any more children."

The case was a sensation on TV networks all over the planet. But Jacko's lawyers maintained Chandler was using his son in a ploy to cash in on the star's millions.

They even employed infamous Hollywood private eye Anthony Pellicano to try and discredit the family. He recorded Chandler's phone calls and claimed he was desperate to break into the movies and was looking for hush money.

The whole affair had a devastating effect on the Chandlers. They received hate mail and death threats from fans and couldn't go out in public. Former county sheriff Jim Thomas, in office at the time, said he never held it against the family for taking the money and running.

"They probably did it because they thought it was in their best interest," he said after learning of Chandler's death in Jersey City, New Jersey.

When Jackson was prosecuted in 2005 for allegedly molesting young Gavin Arvizo, Jordy's mum June testified she was estranged from her son as a result of the Jackson probe and settlement.

"Everybody was touched tragically,'' Thomas said. "I don't know that anybody came out of this in a better way.'' In a second messy court drama in 1996, Chandler filed a EUR44million lawsuit against Jackson and then-wife Lisa Marie Presley, claiming they breached a confidentiality agreement by talking about the case on TV.

He also accused Jacko of marrying Lisa-Marie just to distance himself from the 1993 scandal but the claims were dismissed in court.

Jordy, now 29, has never spoken about the case. But as well as becoming estranged from his mother, he also had a massive fall out with his dad. In 2006, he claimed Chandler attacked him with a dumbbell and got a restraint order.

He also said Chandler squirted a substance like pepper spray in his eyes and tried to choke him. A judge dismissed the allegations but it served as yet more evidence that the family had been torn apart.

At the time of the attack, father and son were living together in New Jersey.

Jordy now lives under an assumed name in Long Island, New York - a lonely, introverted young man with a lot of money to his name but little else.

His dad had also been badly affected.

Soon after winning the EUR17.9million settlement he became embroiled in a series of messy lawsuits. He personally received a million dollars in the settlement and quit his dental practice. But he was sued by Jordy's step-father David Schwartz for breaking up the family. Mr Schwartz separated from Jordy's mum June soon after the case. And Jordy's first attorney in turn sued for his share of the Jackson settlement.

Adding to his stress, Chandler also split with second wife Natalie.

Jackson died aged 50 on June 25 this year from a suspected drug overdose.

After years out of the limelight Chandler was once again at the centre of world press coverage.

But the attention only served to slump him further into depression.

His body was discovered by the building superintendent inside posh Liberty Towers.

Sadly, there were no immediate relatives to contact.

It was a tragic end to a very sorry saga.

CAPTION(S):

PAYOUT Jackson SILENT Jordy lives under a new name in Long Island GOOD TIMES Chandler with wife No2 Natalie, daughter Nikki and Jordy