Diana Ross quotes own song while defending Michael Jackson

'I believe and trust that Michael Jackson was and is a magnificent incredible force to me and to many others,' the iconic singer wrote

Diana Ross is the latest celebrity to defend Michael Jackson after Barbra Streisand backtracked on her comments that appeared to sympathise with the late singer.

Ross posted a message on Twitter on Saturday afternoon (23 March) where she quoted her own lyrics and pledged to continue supporting him.

“This is what’s on my heart this morning. I believe and trust that Michael Jackson was and is a magnificent incredible force to me and to many others,” she wrote, adding: “STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE.”

Ross and Jackson shared a close friendship that began during their Motown years in the Seventies, until Jackson’s death in 2009.

In his memoir, Jackson wrote that he considered Ross to be “my mother, my lover, and my sister all rolled into one”, and even named her in his will as the secondary caregiver to his three children.

Streisand made her controversial comments in a recent interview with The Times. When asked about the allegations, Streisand said she “absolutely” believed Jackson’s accusers adding, “that was too painful”.

However she then continued: “[Jackson’s] sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has…You can say ‘molested’, but those children, as you heard them say, they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.”

In the Leaving Neverland documentary, James Safechuck and Wade Robson claim they were abused hundreds of times by the late pop star. In the documentary, both detail how the alleged abuse had a profound impact on them as adults.

Jackson was dogged by allegations of child abuse, which he vehemently denied, before his death in 2009.

In 2003, police raided his Neverland Ranch in California while investigating claims he had molested a 13-year-old boy. He was acquitted of all charges in 2005.

Streisand’s comments sparked a huge backlash online, including from Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed.

She issued a statement on Instagram that says she believes the parents of the two young men “were also victimised and seduced by fame and fantasy”.

She also expressed her “deep remorse” at not choosing her words “more carefully”.

“To be crystal clear, there is no situation or circumstance where it is OK for the innocence of children to be taken advantage of by anyone,” her statement reads, adding that she “didn’t mean to dismiss the trauma these boys experienced in any way.”