Was Michael Jackson REALLY so weird?

I mean, if it wasn't for his skin getting progressively lighter, due to medical conditions, and his plastic surgery, would he have had the eccentric reputation he had? Molestation allegations aside, because I really don't believe any of that crap, what else did he ever do to deserve the way the media and people portrayed him, before his death? I don't think he did anything to deserve that. And, remember, that none of us know what it's like to be the object of continual scrutiny, throughout our lives, like he was. I would never want to be THAT famous. He was a musical genious, but he, still, was only human.