Paris Jackson marked Father’s Day on Sunday by sharing a rare photograph of herself and her two siblings Prince and Bigi with their late father, Michael Jackson.
The “Thriller” singer died from a cardiac arrest as a result of a propofol overdose in 2009 aged 50.
The musician, who was famously known as the “King of Pop”, shared two children – Paris, 25 and Prince, 26 – with his second wife Debbie Rowe, while his third child Bigi Jackson (formerly known as Blanket), 21, was welcomed via surrogate.
Reposting a photo shared by a fan account on Sunday (18 June), Paris wrote on her Instagram story: “Happy father’s day”.
In the photo, the family are standing in a kitchen, as Michael is holding a young Bigi in his arms while the other two children are baking a cake, with Prince standing at the counter and Paris holding a wooden mixing spoon.
While the children of the pop musician rarely discuss their father in public, Prince – who is the most vocal about his father’s legacy – shared an Instagram post last year to mark what would have been his dad’s 64th birthday.
“Happy birthday to the greatest! Miss you more and more but I love you more and more with each day,” he wrote, before adding: “Thank you for everything.”
Prince organises an annual charity event called Thriller Night, which donates money to Heal Los Angeles Foundation, a non-profit that the 26-year-old co-founded while studying at university with the mission to “end homelessness, child abuse and hunger in Los Angeles”.
The annual event, which was paused for 2023, usually takes place at the late singer’s Hayvenhurst property owned now by the Michael Jackson estate.
Paris, who is a folk musician, has previously opened up about how she will “always” be influenced by the work of her late dad.
Speaking to the Evening Standard in 2021, the singer said that her father’s art was always on her mind, even when she herself wasn’t making pop music.
“I think he’ll always influence everything I do in some way, whether it’s subconscious or intentional,” she said.
“I was around that creativity all the time, so I’m sure I learnt a lot of what I have from that.”
Jackson also discussed growing up on the Neverland Ranch in California, describing how she was “very privileged” but still hard to “earn” treats like toys and rides at the amusement park.
“We were lucky enough to be raised with solid morals. He would be like, ‘Oh, you want to go to Toys ‘R’ Us and get five toys? Great. You need to read five books — and I will test you on those books,’” she recalled.
Jackson, the best-selling hitmaker behind songs such as “Billie Jean” and “Smooth Criminal”, faced multiple allegations of child sexual abuse during his lifetime. The allegations, which Jackson denied, made him a controversial figure throughout his life, and have continued to shape his legacy since his death in 2009.
