The college graduation of late singer Michael Jackson’sson Prince Jackson over Mother’s Day weekend brought about the rare appearance of younger brother Blanket Jackson.
© Prince Jackson/Instagram“I met so many people and learned so much that the experience alone is worth it,” Prince wrote of his attendance at Loyola Marymount. “I wish I could thank everyone that helped me make it to the end but I can’t and unfortunately they’re not all pictured here. But the biggest thanks goes to @tjjackson9 [Michael’s nephew TJ Jackson] and his brothers @tarylljackson [Taryll Jackson] and @tajjackson [Taj Jackson] who kept pushing me to graduate and finish up my degree when I wanted to quit.”
Added Prince: “Honestly I can’t tell you if all of it was worth it yet but I am proud of my degree as I believe it is a testament to my dedication and discipline. I’m thankful for LMUs education of a whole person and the implementation of Jesuit values because I believe they inspire graduates like me to continue to change the world for the better.”
Prince graduated from Loyola Marymount cum laude through the California university’s College of Business Administration (CBA). His focus was in entrepreneurship.
While Prince has made time to complete his academics, he has begun to embrace the limelight just as younger sister Paris Jackson has. Blanket’s path, however, has differed from his older siblings as he’s veered away from attracting mainstream attention.
A source told Us Weekly in 2015 that the youngest Jackson child is “really quiet.”
Blanket’s last public appearance was madeon Paris’ Instagram page in 2017. At the time, the 21-year-old model shared a photo with her brothers and family friend Omer Bhatti, captioned: “Happy Christmas from ours to yours #brahdas.”
The “Thriller” crooner was 50 when he died in June 2009. Since his untimely passing, the acclaimed musical talent has become the subject of the controversial HBO documentary Leaving Neverland. The film, which debuted in January at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, followed child molestation allegations made by accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck. Michael was acquitted on separate sexual abuse charges in a 2005 trial.
Related slideshow: Michael Jackson's Kids: Where Are They Now?
Michael Jackson left more than an extensive musical legacy and his former estate of Neverland Ranch behind when he died at the age of the 50 on June 25, 2009 — the “Billie Jean” singer also had three children. Michael’s first child, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., was born to the musician and nurse Debbie Rowe, to whom he was married from 1996 to 1999, on February 13, 1997. He was nicknamed “Prince” and reportedly cared for by nurses and nannies at the Neverland Ranch. The Grammy winner welcomed a second child, daughter Paris, with Rowe, now 60, on April 3, 1998. She made a tearful speech at her father’s memorial service and struggled in the wake of Michael’s death, attempting to take her own life by slashing her wrists and taking 20 Motrin pills in 2013 and claiming to have been sexually assaulted by a stranger at the age of 14, according to her cover interview with Rolling Stone in January 2017. She spent time in treatment and later came to prominence as a model and aspiring singer. His third child, Prince Michael Jackson II, arrived on February 21, 2002, to an unknown surrogate. He quickly garnered the nickname “Blanket” and was introduced to the world months after his birth — when his father made headlines for holding him over the railing of a hotel balcony in Berlin. The 19-time Grammy winner later called the action a “mistake,” saying, “I offer no excuses for what happened. I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children.” Scroll through to find out where each of the pop star’s children are today.
The Behind-the-Scenes Maverick
Prince, whose godparents include Macaulay Culkin and the late Elizabeth Taylor, admitted in a November 2016 interview that he can’t sing and can’t dance, yet he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and go into showbiz — on the other side of the camera. “I’ve always wanted to go into production. My dad would ask me what I wanted to do and my answer was always producing and directing,” he told the Los Angeles Times. Prince produced his first video for Omer “O-Bee” Bhatti’s “Automatic” in 2016, launching King’s Son Productions off its success.
The only daughter of the “Dirty Diana” crooner, Paris is also the most high-profile of the three children. She discussed her upbringing in an interview with Rolling Stone in January 2017: “I just thought his name was Dad, Daddy,” she said of growing up with her famous father. “We didn’t really know who he was. But he was our world. And we were his world. … When you’re at home, your dad, who you love more than anything, will occasionally come in, in the middle of class, and it’s like, ‘Cool, no more class for the day. We’re gonna go hang out with Dad. We were like, ‘We don’t need friends. We’ve got you and Disney Channel!’” Two months later, the Star actress signed a deal with IMG Models, and has since starred in campaigns for labels including Calvin Klein and Chanel. In January 2019, the Gringo star checked into a treatment facility for her “physical and emotional health.” She addressed her wellbeing on Twitter on February 2: “There’s no meltdown, no ‘losing [my] s–t,’ or being demanding of anyone. please don’t believe what you read … I said it before and i’ll say it again, i’m the happiest and healthiest i’ve been in a long time.” Paris also sings, as seen in an Instagram clip from March 2018, during which she jammed with musician Austin Brown. On March 16, TMZ reported that the model was hospitalized for suicide attempt. A LAPD spokesperson confirmed the news, not naming Jackson, but linking it back to her address. An Us Weekly source added it was likely due to “a build-up of many things,” including “backlash” from the Leaving Neverland documentary that debuted earlier in March. The source noted, “She is in better spirits and surrounded by friends and family,” post-treatment. Shortly after news broke, Jackson denied the reports on Twitter.
Prince has since traded in the nickname of “Blanket” for a pet name of “Bigi” and is attending the same high school his big brother graduated from — Buckley High in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of L.A. Though he keeps a low profile — a source told Us in 2015 that he was “really quiet” — Newsweek reports that the teenager has taken up martial arts and enjoys playing video games.
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