R&B singer AKON once acted as a distraction for fans during a trip to a movie theater with MICHAEL JACKSON because nobody recognized the King of Pop in his disguise.

The Smack That hitmaker collaborated with the Thriller legend in 2007, and he has fond memories of their time together - particularly because the icon loved to play tricks on fans.

Recalling one trip to a local cinema, Akon tells CNN.com, "We snuck off to go to the movies, he had a disguise on. It was me and his three kids and we were on the escalator and the people were like 'Akon, oh my God, Akon,' and I am signing autographs and laughing, thinking, 'You don't even know who is beside me' - the whole time, he is standing there laughing."

Akon's duet with Jackson, Hold My Hand, wasn't completed until after the singer's tragic 2009 death and became the first posthumous release from his album Michael.