MICHAEL JACKSON was a way of life to Plymouth couple Sam and Sarah Davidson

The husband and wife used to come home from work, log on to the internet and follow what Jacko had been up to during the day.

And Sam and Sarah did that every day for years.

They have met Michael once, he bought them pizza another time, they have been to his Neverland Ranch in the USA twice – and they were even in the courtroom during Jackson's trial in 2005.

The Plymouth couple admit they 'live and breathe Michael Jackson' – and they told The Herald they had been in a state of shock since they found out that he had died on Thursday night.

Sam, 25, said: "He was such an important person on a global scale and he still had so much to offer.

"I admired the man as much as his music. It feels like a family member has passed away. We're in shock."

The pop megastar died on Thursday night, having suffered a cardiac arrest at his home off Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, and arrived at hospital in a coma, it was reported. His family were at his bedside when he died.

Sam and Sarah, who live in Stoke, said they knew about Jackson being taken to the hospital '45 minutes before Sky News' did on Thursday, because they were on a Michael Jackson website.

They said today they wouldn't have met had it not been for him.

The couple both went to court in the USA in 2005 to Jackson's trial when he was accused – and later acquitted – of molesting a 13-year-old boy.

They met in the courtroom, fell in love and Sarah, 26, who grew up only half an hour away from the Neverland Ranch in Santa Monica, California, later moved across the water to Plymouth.

Sam admitted they had one main common bond – Michael Jackson.

Sam said: "I've spent about £10,000 over the years travelling to concerts and court appearances.

"This man has got me through some of the darkest hours of my life.

"He was a beautiful person – too beautiful for this world. A lot of people in this world just didn't understand or appreciate him."

Sam and Sarah have twice been to Jackson's Neverland Ranch.

Sam actually met the superstar during another of the visits – and had a brief chat with him. Sam said: "He was lovely: very polite and a fantastic person to talk to."

In 2006, said Sam, the couple waited outside the Dorchester Hotel in London, where Michael was staying.

Sam said Jackson saw the crowd from the window and ordered them 20 pizzas while they stood outside.

The couple had been looking forward to catching Jackson's concert at the O2 Arena in London on July 13 after shelling out £1,000 for tickets.

They hope to get a refund now. If they do, they say, they will spend the cash on flights to the USA to attend Jackson's funeral.

If they can't do that, they say, they will travel up to the O2 on July 13 and join in a tribute which is being planned by Jacko's fans in the UK.

Sam said: "I don't know how I'm going to go on without being able to check the internet each day to find out what Michael's up to. The world has lost its last megastar."