MICHAEL Jackson fans in Oxfordshire were coming to terms today with his death — and the realisation they will never get to see him in concert.

Thousands of fans have been left disappointed they will not see their idol at one of 50 comeback concerts planned for the O2 Arena in London, which were due to start next month.

Tickets sold out within hours when they went on sale in March and a group of friends from Faringdon were among those who snapped them up.

Hannah Carthy, 26, Gary Sutton, 29, girlfriend Zoe Leggett, 33, Hayley Cover, 26, and boyfriend Matthew Curtis, 30, were all due to see the singer on February 16.

They paid £108 each for their tickets, including a coach to London from Swindon. Ms Carthy said: “I’m absolutely devastated by Michael Jackson’s death — I have loved his music since I was a kid — his songs are classics and my favourite is Man in the Mirror.

“I am so disappointed I will now never have the chance to see him in concert.

“We booked the tickets with a travel company with our credit cards so that could mean we can get a refund.”

Ms Leggett added: “I’m gutted. We waited for hours online to get our tickets and eventually we got allocated a date in February.

“None of us have ever seen Michael Jackson before and it would have been the concert of a lifetime.”

The singer’s death has brought back memories of his visit to the Oxford Union in March, 2001. The centre of Oxford came to a standstill, with hundreds of chanting fans gathering outside the world-famous debating chamber in St Michael’s Street.

Illusionist Uri Geller, together with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, then an Oxford-based rabbi, persuaded the pop legend to visit the union.

The singer did not speak to fans, but went straight into the grounds, before giving his speech on child welfare, where he told students that every child has the right to hear a bedtime story.

There were screams of joy when the singer turned up at 8.45pm, nearly three hours late, with his friends Mr Boteach and Mr Geller.

Mr Geller, who lives at Sonning, near Henley, told the Oxford Mail: “The visit to the Oxford Union was huge for Michael Jackson – the prestige and the credibility of going there was amazing for him and he will never forget it, even in heaven now.

“It wasn’t hard to arrange the talk because everyone wanted to see Michael Jackson. Rabbi Shmuley had a premonition that he was fearing for Michael’s life — I wanted him to live for infinity.”

Mr Boteach said he tried to encourage Michael Jackson to think about spirituality and the family.

He said: “That the story ends with his tragic death aged 50 — and the story ends with three young children being orphaned – is shocking beyond belief.”

More than 20,000 people applied for tickets to see the lecture but only 500 were allowed in.

After the talk, the singer travelled to Blenheim Palace in Woodstock to join guests including Lord Lloyd-Webber and former Hollywood child star Macaulay Culkin.

His first comeback concert was due on July 13, but on May 20 the singer delayed the opening four nights, saying he needed more time for rehearsals.

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk