Sheryl Crow opens up about what she saw on tour with Michael Jackson following 'Leaving Neverland' accusations

Even though it has been 10 years since he passed away, it appears Michael Jackson is still facing the backlash from the explosive documentary Leaving Neverland.

The two-part documentary in which Wade Robson and James Safechuck accused the late pop star of sexually abusing them as children left audiences stunned.

But while the King of Pop's estate has denied the allegations and has since filed a US$100 million lawsuit against HBO, singer Sheryl Crow has opened up about what she saw while touring with the 'Thriller' hitmaker - who died from acute Propofol intoxication in June 2009 - at the time he was on the road with Safechuck.

Crow spent almost two years over the course of 1987-89 as a back-up singer on Jackson's Bad tour.

In an interview with the Guardian, the 57-year-old musician spoke about watching the documentary for the first time on TV.

"They showed clips of the young man who was on the Jackson tour with us and it made me … I mean, I still feel really … It's like a death in the family. It's sad."

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"[Safechuck] was a great kid and the whole time he was with us – which was the better half of an 18-month tour – I always wondered: 'What in the world are his parents doing?', you know?"

When asked whether she had any hunch that something was off, Crow answered: "Honestly, I think that there were a lot of exceptions made because of the damage that [Jackson could do]."

"I mean, he didn't intentionally project it, but it was part of his aura – this almost being untouchable and almost alien-like. And yeah, I'm sad, and I'm mad at a lot of people. I feel like there was just a huge network of people that allowed all that to go on. It's just tragic."

Earlier this year, a journalist called Sam Smyth revealed to the Irish Mail that he became so concerned about Jackson's "deeply suspicious" relationship with Safechuck on the tour that he reached out to the boy.

Smyth and another journalist sent a letter to Safechuck's hotel room which read: "Dear Little Jimmy Safechuck, we are in the residents' lounge … and if you are being held against your will or if you need rescuing contact us."

They gave the note to a hotel porter to deliver, but they never heard from Safechuck.