In the aftermath of his trial, one might expect Michael Jackson’s high-profile friends to back away at his limping approach. But not billionaire Democratic financier and grocery store kingpin Ron Burkle. A longtime friend of Jackson’s, Burkle reportedly helped the singer renegotiate his $300 million debt in a way that wouldn’t force him to sell his half of the Beatles’ song catalog. Now that Jackson’s been acquitted, Burkle has turned his attentions on his pale-faced pal’s declining mental health, we hear.

“Michael is on his way to Switzerland for medical treatments, and then he’s off to spend time on Burkle’s yacht,” says a source close to Jackson. “Ron thinks that Michael needs time to relax and get away from all that kiddie porn and pedophile nonsense.” Our source says the yacht (which Burkle, who’s worth $2.3 billion, apparently leases) is the same one he uses to entertain former president Bill Clinton, his close friend and paid consultant. Burkle’s spokesman, Frank Quintero, declined to comment on his boss’s fondness for the radioactive singer.

Source: Radar