London, July 13 - Pop legend Michael Jackson had several gay lovers, claims author Ian Halperin in his new book 'Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson'.

The book also claims that 'virtually everybody' around the singer, who died June 25 of cardiac arrest, knew he was gay. And it alleges he would sneak out of his home at midnight dressed as a woman to keep dates with a male lovers, reported thesun.co.uk.

Halperin claims to have tracked down two of the superstar's alleged male lovers.

'Virtually everybody has told me. Even those who are his most ardent defenders, people who maintain he is innocent of the molestation charges, insist that he was homosexually inclined,' he said.

He claims the two lovers he traced were a Hollywood waiter and an aspiring actor called Lawrence.