R&B crooner Usher flew to Panama in an effort to have a sit-down with imperiled pop star Justin Bieber, TMZ reports.
The 19-year-old singer's mother, Pattie Mallette, his manager, Scooter Braun, and close friends Ryan Good and Ryan Butler were also reportedly on hand in Nitro City, a resort in Punta Chame, Panama, the report says.
Concern arose after Bieber’s high-profile arrest Thursday and questionable Instagram split image of himself and the late-pop legend Michael Jackson. “What more can they say,” he wrote. Before the arrest, concern had been expressed about substance abuse, reports say.
Usher and Bieber have a long history together. Usher reportedly discovered Bieber in 2009, and news about his arrival in Panama broke Saturday after several images of the singer posing with fans showed up on Instagram and Twitter Saturday, reports say.
Last week, Bieber was arrested in Miami for driving under the influence, drag racing and driving with an expired Georgia license. He admitted to police that he had taken prescription pills, smoked marijuana and consumed alcohol at the time of his arrest, the Daily News reports.
"Been a long day," Braun tweeted Thursday, after Bieber's arrest.
"Bottom line is we are defined by how we handle adversity. Be there when it counts."
Read more at TMZ and the Daily News.