AceShowbiz - Michael Jackson's mother Katherine has backed her daughter La Toya Jackson's allegations the King of Pop was murdered - insisting her superstar son was convinced "people wanted him dead".

In a rare TV interview with NBC's "Dateline" - set to air in the U.S. on the first anniversary of Jackson's death on Friday, June 25 - the family matriarch reveals the "Thriller" hitmaker always feared he would meet a tragic end. And the 80 year old is adamant greed played a part in the superstar's demise.

She says, "I know Michael didn't die of natural causes. Someone did this to him. Mean, evil, vicious people didn't want him around for some reason. It just shows how vicious people are and greedy for money. He told me several times that he felt that people wanted him gone, wanted him dead. He would always say that. And for him to say that he must have known something."

The claims follows La Toya's recent insistence that Jackson was killed for money, saying, "Michael was murdered for his (music) catalogue - that's the bottom line."

Jackson's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray stands accused of administering the powerful anaesthetic Propofol which led to the singer's death. He has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter.