Inside Katharine Hepburn and Michael Jackson’s Secret Friendship

In their new book, ‘In the Company of Legends’ — due out April 16 — Joan Kramer and David Heeley share stories of interviewing Hollywood greats over their 35-year career as documentarians.

Preparing to sit down with Katharine Hepburn in the early ’80s, they discovered she had an unlikely friendship with none other than Michael Jackson. Read an excerpt from the book below.

Joan and David's book, 'In the Company of Legends.'

"I met Michael when I was up at Squam Lake in New Hampshire making On Golden Pond, and he came to visit Jane Fonda," Kate said. "They were already friends. She introduced him to me, and he was very soft-spoken and sweet."

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"Then, Jane said to me, ‘I have to go back to LA for the weekend. Could you look after Michael?’ I said, ‘What the hell am I supposed to do with this kid? I hardly know him.’"

"'Oh, you’ll find things to do,’ she said. ‘He’s crazy about you.’ She’d found him a room in the attic of an old house. When I went there on Saturday morning, the room looked like a hurricane had hit it."

Katharine (left) and Michael (right). (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

"I said, ‘Michael, clean up this place — right now.’ And he said, ‘Yes, Miss Hepburn,’ in a voice I could hardly hear, and he began picking up all those clothes and piling them on a chair. I said to him, ‘Don’t
you ever do your laundry?’ And he said, ‘Someone usually does that for me.’"

"I said, ‘Come with me. We’re going to a laundromat just down the street.’" Kate showed Michael how to feed quarters into the washing machines.

To read the full story on Katharine and Michael, pick up the new issue of ‘Closer Weekly,’ on newsstands now!