Paris Jackson has paid an emotional tribute to her father, King of Pop Michael Jackson, on what would have been his 65th birthday.
In a heartfelt Instagram video, Paris spoke fondly of her father, and how he hated celebrating his birthday during his lifetime.
She recalled in her video: “So today’s my dad’s birthday, and back when he was alive, he used to hate anybody acknowledging his birthday, wishing him a happy birthday, celebrating it, nothing like that.”
Paris went on to share her father’s wish to keep his birthday low-key, saying: “He actually didn’t want us to even know when his birthday was because he didn’t want us to throw a party.”
While reminiscing about her dad, Paris also revealed that she has faced immense pressure from Michael Jackson’s passionate “superfans” to commemorate his birthday on social media.
“If you don’t wish someone a happy birthday via social media, it apparently means that you don’t love them, you don’t care about them,” she sarcastically mentioned in the clip.
She continued: “There have been times where I don’t post anything for my dad’s birthday, and people lose their f***ing minds. They tell me to kill myself,” adding that it made her frustrated to think that the love she has for her father is being judged by her social media posts.
To counter these critics, Paris posted footage of herself on stage, opening for the rock band Incubus at the Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park in Grand Junction, Colo., earlier in the day. She announced to the enthusiastic crowd that it was her dad’s 65th birthday, and they responded with cheers.
Paris acknowledged her father’s legacy, stating: “He put 50 years of blood, sweat and tears and love and passion into doing what he did, so that I can stand up here onstage in front of you and scream into a microphone. So I owe everything to him.”
In the Instagram caption for her dad’s birthday video, the actress and musician urged her followers to be kind and wrote: “please don’t use a man you have never met as an excuse to abuse, manipulate, and harass his daughter (who you also have never met). L O V E ♥️.”
While Paris was honoring her late father in Colorado, her two brothers, Prince Jackson, 26, and Blanket “Bigi” Jackson, 21, were seen together in Las Vegas.
The two brothers were spotted taking pictures with fans and signing autographs at Sin City’s Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino following a performance of Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil.
Prince appeared to be in high spirits, interacting warmly with guests, giving hugs, and posing for photos. In contrast, Blanket seemed more reserved during what was quite a rare public outing for him, keeping mainly to himself.
Michael Jackson passed away in June 2009 from cardiac arrest resulting from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 50.
The 13-time Grammy-winning artist had two children, Prince and Paris, with his ex-wife Debbie Rowe, whom he was married to from November 1996 to April 2000. In a 2003 documentary, ‘Living with Michael Jackson’, Michael revealed that Blanket was conceived via surrogate, although the identity of the surrogate was never disclosed.
Michael Jackson was also briefly married to Lisa Marie Presley from May 1994 to August 1996, but they did not have children together.
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