“Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much.” These were the heartfelt words spoken by an 11-year-old Paris Jackson at the funeral of the man who meant everything to her—her father.
Losing a parent at such a young age is devastating. For Paris and her brothers, it also meant being thrust into the public eye like never before. Suddenly, the media was fixated on them, with magazines eager to capture glimpses of Michael Jackson’s legacy through his children. He had always been fiercely protective of their privacy, yet now they found themselves in an unrelenting spotlight.
Following his passing, his children were placed under the guardianship of their grandmother, Katherine Jackson. Paris remained in her care until she turned 19, at which point she moved into her father’s private studio within the family estate, transforming it into a dorm-style bedroom.
Paris, who celebrated her 23rd birthday on April 3, recently spoke about her father, Michael Jackson, in a YouTube interview with supermodel Naomi Campbell. During the conversation, she also shared insights into her modeling career, her debut album, and her childhood.
The rising model and musician released her first album, Wilted, an indie-folk project. “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,” Paris told Paper, mentioning that her late father’s music has been a major source of inspiration for her. She has undoubtedly inherited his artistic talent.
“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 shared.
“It was also like, we saw everything. We saw third world countries. We saw every part of the spectrum.”
Paris went on to explain that despite Michael Jackson’s immense wealth and status as the King of Pop, he never spoiled his children. Instead of handing them everything on a silver platter, he made sure they understood the value of hard work from an early age.
“Even growing up it was about earning stuff,” she shared. “If we wanted five toys from FAO Schwarz or Toys ‘R’ Us, we had to read five books.
