-- A Tunisian astrologist claims he predicted the death of Michael Jackson in 2008, and has the documents to prove it.

Hassan Charni, described as a world-renowned astrologist, said he predicted the King of Pop would pass away some time during 2009, the Tunisian weekly Al-Hadath reported on Tuesday.

Jackson's untimely death last Thursday at the age of 50 rocked the music world and devastated fans worldwide, including those in the Middle East and North Africa.

Najem Wali, a cultural correspondent with the London-based Al-Hayyat, told The Media Line that Michael Jackson was extremely popular in the Middle East and North Africa, and particularly in Gulf countries, where he was often imitated in appearance and haircuts.

"He was especially popular in the big cities, like Cairo and Beirut," he said.

In North Africa, Jackson's fame was enhanced via television where his clips were often broadcast on MTV, Wali added.

Al-Hadath published excerpts from an article Charni authored at the end of 2008, predicting the singer's death.

Charni, who holds a doctorate in astrophysics, made headlines in the past when he predicted the deaths of Lady Diana in a "devastating traffic accident" in 1997, the passing of Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat in 2004 under "vague circumstances," the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, and the death of the Saudi King Fahd Bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz in 2005.

He also predicted the victory of Barack Obama in the United States presidential election last year and foresaw the current global economic crisis.

Bu not all his predictions have come true. He said former U.S. president George Bush would be killed by an assassin's bullet in 2005, that Saddam Hussein would die before his trial began and that a major terror attack would take place in January 2005 in Tel Aviv, none of which came true.

Charni said his predictions were based on celestial movements but added that "God knows best."

Jackson was hugely popular in Africa and the first reported suicide of a Jackson fan occurred in Tunisia. A young girl from the north of the country took her life in desperation on Friday after hearing about the performer's death.

According to the Tunisian French-language daily Le Quotidien, she spent the day isolated in her room watching videos of Michael Jackson, her idol, and later swallowed a large quantity of tablets.

Jackson's October 1996 performance in Tunisia in front of 65,000 fans was his first in Africa and the first in an Arab country.

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