Michael Jackson left an everlasting impression on the world as an unforgettable singer, songwriter, dancer, and entertainer – he earned his moniker, ”The King of Pop”.
But MJ was also a family man, and during his career, he had three children with two women before his tragic death 11 years ago
Michael Jackson left an everlasting impression on the world as an unforgettable singer, songwriter, dancer, and entertainer – he earned his moniker, ”The King of Pop”.
But MJ was also a family man, and during his career, he had three children with two women before his tragic death 11 years ago.
His youngest son, Bigi Jackson, turned 18 years old in 2020. In recent times, he’s been pretty active on different social media platforms.
Now, when you look at new pictures of Michael’s third child, you can, without doubt, spot some similarities with the famous pop icon …
Michael Jackson’s marriages
Up to Michael Jackson’s death, the tabloids wrote a lot about his private life, his marriages, and his children. Since Michael had three children with two different women, there was a lot of speculation going on.
The press often questioned whether MJ’s children were his biological kids, and they also speculated on who the mother of each one was.
Looking back at Michael’s relationships, it’s perhaps not so strange that the newspapers sought answers …
Michael Jackson met his first wife, Lisa Marie Presley, back in 1974. He was just 16 years old the first time he saw Lisa, and it was none other than Elvis Presley who introduced them to each other, at a hotel in Las Vegas.
Lisa was 6 years old at the time, but a huge fan of the Jackson 5. She loved the young singer in particular.
But it would be 18 years before the couple met again, at a dinner hosted by artist Brett-Livingstone Strong. Shortly thereafter, the couple grew fond of each other and talked on the phone every day.
Michael and Lisa had a lot in common – both had complicated relationships with the “real” world. Since both were celebrities from childhood, they had been very much sheltered from the outside world.
When Lisa met Michael, she was still married to actor Danny Keough, with whom she had two children. But Michael and Lisa developed a special relationship, and one day when talking on the phone, Michael asked: “If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?”
Lisa said yes and went on to divorce Danny. Only 20 days after the divorce was finalized, Michael and Lisa themselves married. The couple tied the knot in 1994, at a ceremony in the Dominican Republic. The magnitude of the wedding between these mega-celebrities should not be underestimated – one newspaper called it “The Marriage of the Century”.
But before long, their marriage became very chaotic. Lisa Marie refused to have children with her husband. She thought Michael was too immature to be a father, and couldn’t see a future together with the American singer.
According to Lisa, Michael struggled with his adult relationships and was ”childish”, often doing child-like things. Michael, meanwhile, purportedly really wanted to become a father. He is said to have explained to Lisa that she didn’t have to carry his children if she did not want to.
“My friend Debbie [Rowe] said she will get pregnant and have my baby. If you will not do it, then she will. How about that?” Michael told her, as per the book “Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness”, written by J. Randy Taraborrelli.
Lisa reportedly said that she was okay with that. The couple divorced in 1996, but continued to date, on and off, for four more years.
Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe
Throughout his marriage to Lisa Presley, there was always another woman in the background: Debbie Rowe.
Michael and Debbie went way back. They had met in the mid-1980s when Debbie worked as an assistant for the pop singer’s dermatologist. For many years, Debbie helped Michael with treating his long-term skin condition, vitiligo.
The couple became very good friends and eventually more than that.
Michael and Debbie married in 1996 and two of Jackson’s three children were later born. In 1997, Debbie gave birth to Michael Joseph “Prince” Jackson, Jr. One year later, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson arrived.
Michael and Debbie had a rather odd approach when it came to parenting.
Debbie was more of a surrogate mom, with Michael wanting to raise the children on his own at the Neverland Ranch. Debbie only visited her kids sporadically, as she didn’t want to become too attached to them.
“My kids don’t call me Mom because I don’t want them to. They’re Michael’s children. It’s not that they are not my children, but I had them because I wanted him to be a father. People make remarks, ‘I can’t believe she left her children.’ Left them? Did I leave my children? I did not leave my children. My children are with their father, where they are supposed to be. I didn’t do it to be a mother… If he called me tonight and said let’s have five more [children], I’d do it in a heartbeat,” Debbie said in an interview with English journalist Martin Bashir.
But it’s obvious that this “deal” took a toll on her.
In the end, Debbie’s dissatisfaction with the arrangement became very clear as she filed for divorce in 1999. In the divorce, Debbie gave Michael full custody of her children. The couple remained friends though.
Michael Jackson’s youngest child
In February 2002, Michael Jackson’s third child was born. The boy was named Prince Michael Jackson II, though people would soon start to call him “Blanket”. The nickname came from the fact that Prince’s face was always covered with a blanket when he was seen in public.