Only the most oblivious could possibly not recognize Michael Jackson.

The “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson

You know people don’t call you “The King of Pop” for no reason. Sadly, the late singer’s life wasn’t as rosy as the music he left behind.

From the time he started performing with his brothers in the Jackson Five, Michael had a difficult home life. His father was extremely controlling and quick to discipline his children.

Michael Jackson, one could argue, was a finished good, a human being whose very DNA was programmed to make him a successful performer and vocalist. This, however, does not detract from the undeniable genius of his singing, dancing, and composition.

After his untimely death in 2009, Michael Jackson was mourned all around the globe. He was followed by paparazzi and tabloid media for the majority of his life, and they didn’t stop until he was finally laid to rest.

Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson

Media helicopters trailed the helicopters taking his body from the Los Angeles hospital. Stories about Michael Jackson and his family continue to appear in publications around the world.

His children, in particular, have been the focus of paparazzi attention because of the demand for Jackson family photos.

Paris Jackson, Jackson’s second kid, has been in the public eye from an early age. She’s working hard at becoming her own person now, rather than being remembered simply as Michael Jackson’s daughter.

After years of mental illness, she is actually doing quite well.

Paris Jackson – early life

Born in California on April 3, 1998, Paris Jackson is Jackson family’s youngest child. She’s Michael Jackson’s second child and only daughter.

Her childhood was spent in seclusion, as she and her brother were both homeschooled until the sixth grade. Both Michael Jackson and his children were protective of their privacy. Earlier pictures of Michael’s kids often depict them in costume or with scarves over their eyes.

And so it was that Paris and her siblings had a rather confined existence on the Neverland Ranch. They had a lot of advantages, no one can deny that, but they must have had it rough, too.

Paris Jackson discussed her father and upbringing in an interview with supermodel Naomi Campbell that was posted on YouTube.

She claimed Michael Jackson influenced their “cultured” upbringing.

“My dad was really good about making sure we were cultured, making sure we were educated, and not just showing us like the glitz and glam, like hotel hopping, five-star places,” Paris said.

“It was also like, we saw everything. We saw third world countries. We saw every part of the spectrum.”

Recalls her early life and shares her experiences

Growing up, Paris Jackson moved around a lot as her father, Michael Jackson, performed for millions of fans around the world.

She reflects with gratitude on her “privileged” upbringing. Paris also taught early on that she shouldn’t have an entitlement mentality. Her dad drilled into his kids the importance of working for what you want.

“Even growing up it was about earning stuff,” Paris said. “If we wanted five toys from FAO Schwarz or Toys ‘R’ Us, we had to read five books.

“It’s earning it, not just being entitled to certain things or thinking ‘oh I got this’,” she added. “It’s like working for it, working hard for it, it’s something else entirely, it’s an accomplishment.”

Paris’s father went suddenly when she was just 11 years old.

Tragic passing of Michael Jackson

The “King of Pop” went into cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009, at his residence, and he passed unexpectedly shortly after being taken to the hospital. According to Michael’s will, Paris and her brothers are legally responsible for by their grandmother, Katherine Jackson.

Paris, then 11 years old, spoke at her father’s memorial service, which was broadcast around the world.

“Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine,” she said. “And I just wanted to say I love him so much.”

Paris, together with her brothers Prince Michael (aged 12) and Prince Michael II (aged 7), watched the memorial service on television. That was the first time the public really got to see Jackson’s kids.

They re-emerged in public view in January of 2010 when they attended the Grammy Awards to accept their late father’s posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.

Paris Jackson – life after Neverland

Paris went on The Oprah Winfrey Show in November of that year to gush about her incredible dad.

“I kind of felt like no one understood what a good father he was, he was the best cook ever,” she told Winfrey. “He was just a normal dad.”

“He made the best French toast in the world,” Paris added.

According to The Daily Mail, Paris Jackson and her grandmother Katherine Jackson moved into a mansion in Calabasas, California, after Michael Jackson’s death.

Michael Jackson’s private studio at the family home became her dorm-style dormitory when she turned 19.

Losing your dad is tough enough. Nevertheless, for Paris, it represented so much more. Now, it was expected of her to continue her father’s work.

“I tried to grow up too fast”

With the commencement of seventh grade, Paris opted for a private education. The only people who had accepted her for who she was up to this point were the older kids, and that didn’t go off without a hitch.

“I was doing a lot of things that 13-, 14-, 15-year-olds shouldn’t do. I tried to grow up too fast, and I wasn’t really that nice of a person,” she told Rolling Stone.

At roughly the same time, cyberbullying emerged as an issue in Paris thanks to the rise of social media.

“The whole freedom-of-speech thing is great,” she explained. “But I don’t think that our Founding Fathers predicted social media when they created all of these amendments and stuff.”

As a teen, Paris experienced significant hardship. She even attempted suicide after something terrible happened to her, but even that was a turning point.

She attended a wonderful therapeutic boarding school in Utah for her sophomore and half of her junior years.

“I’m a completely different person,” she said. “I was crazy. I was actually crazy, I was going through a lot of, like, teen angst. And I was also dealing with my depression and my anxiety without any help.”

Paris Jackson – career

Even though Paris had finished high school a year early, she was already dealing with a lot of issues by the time she received her diploma in 2015. She was considered famous just because she was one of the recipients of billionaire Michael Jackson’s inheritance.

Jackson, however, is now following in her father’s footsteps by entering the entertainment industry. The lesson her father taught her was that if you want something, you have to work for it. Paris said, “I am a true believer” in the concept of “earning her own success” during an interview with Naomi Campbell.

This is something we absolutely enjoy about Paris: the city is home to someone who was born into absurd wealth as the offspring of one of the most renowned people in contemporary history. She is determined to forge her own path in life regardless of her family history or the identity of her father.

Apart for her siblings, she spent her whole childhood with adults. It was a hard adjustment for her to leave Neverland and start attending a real school. Growing up as Michael Jackson’s daughter, she saw the world as more than that. And it was really challenging at first.

“Once I got introduced into the real world, I was shocked. It blew me away,” Paris told Harper’s Bazaar. “Not just because it was sexist, but misogynist and racist and cruel. It was scary as hell. And it still is really scary.”

Modeling and music

Where did Paris go from there? Sure enough, she struck out on her own and, initially, found success in the modeling industry. She’s amazingly gifted at it, too.

She has graced the covers of numerous high-profile publications in recent years, including Rolling Stone, Vogue, and Narcisse.

Being a form of self-expression and release, modeling is a perfect fit for Paris. Numerous people were taken aback by the drastic changes her father underwent as a result of all his plastic surgery. Nonetheless, Paris is aware of the dangers of social media and cyberbullying, and she can respect his decision.

“I’ve had self-esteem issues for a really, really long time,” she said. “Plenty of people think I’m ugly, and plenty of people don’t. But there’s a moment when I’m modeling where I forget about my self-esteem issues and focus on what the photographer’s telling me – and I feel pretty. And in that sense, it’s selfish.”

Paris seems to enjoy spending time with her pals, doing all the things in life she couldn’t truly do at a younger age, and she shares these experiences with her fans on Instagram.

Released her first album

Her father was a famous musician, so she decided to follow in his footsteps and drop her first album, Wilted, in 2020. Paris Jackson has also made songs, although unlike her renowned father, she went with a more indie-folk style.

“It’s mainly just a story of heartbreak and love, in general, and the thoughts and feelings that come after it doesn’t work out,” she told Paper.

Paris Jackson claims she learned all the words to her father’s songs as a child. At the same time as she was developing her own style, she was undoubtedly affected by Michael Jackson’s musical preferences.

“He loved classical music and jazz and Hip Hop and R&B and obviously the Motown stuff,” she says.

Paris Jackson has almost 50 tattoos honoring her late father, Michael Jackson. They have nine Michael Jackson-themed ones.

“I feel him with me all the time”

She has learned to accept the tragedy of her father’s death and does not believe that time will heal her.

On the other hand, she will never be truly alone because Michael Jackson has visited her in her dreams.

“I live life with the mentality of ‘OK, I lost the only thing that has ever been important to me.’” she told Rolling Stone. “So going forward, anything bad that happens can’t be nearly as bad as what happened before. So I can handle it.

“I feel him with me all the time.”

People who understand the anguish of a parent’s death can empathize with Paris’s predicament. Yet, nobody has ever had quite the same kind of childhood as Paris Jackson.

 

We’re relieved that she may now pursue her own interests without the constant scrutiny of the media. You’re in my thoughts, Paris.

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