“My dad has been the best dad you could ever ask for since the day I was born.” And I just wanted to let him know how much I love him. Paris Jackson, who was 11 years old at the time, cried when she stated these things at her father’s burial service in July 2009. They caught a moment that seemed to be both public and intimate. Michael Jackson was known as the “King of Pop” by people all over the world. His songs changed a lot of people’s lives. But to Paris, he was just “dad.” At that moment, millions of people didn’t see the renowned person; they saw the caring father who was behind the fame.
When Michael Jackson died suddenly, the world was shocked. The official story is that the person died of cardiac arrest because they had too much propofol. Fans all over the world were heartbroken, and there were a lot of messages of sympathy in the press. The people that missed him the most were Prince, Paris, and Blanket (now called Bigi). Their father was everything to them. He taught them, kept them safe, and was always there for them.
Paris’s life changed forever when she lost her father while she was so young. Michael has kept his kids out of the public eye for a long time. He made them wear masks or scarves over their faces when they went out in public. He wasn’t scared; he just wanted them to feel normal and have a chance to live without the pressure of having a name that everyone adored.
He was very reserved, but he always showed love. He taught them to be polite, set limits for them, and encouraged them to be creative. Paris has said that Michael made sure she never felt like she was growing up in a castle of wealth, even though Dad was famous. Dad was quite interested in their lives. He taught his kids to be kind to others, work hard, and find meaning in things other than fame and money.
People started to pay attention to the kids after their father died, which was the opposite of what he had worked so hard to keep them from doing. They were always in front of the camera. There were a lot of stories going around. Tabloids tried to make sense of their lives by turning their issues into stories. Three youngsters were at the center of it all. They were having a terrible time with the death of the person they loved the most.
Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother, was given legal custody of the children. She was in her late 70s at the time, yet she had the huge job of taking care of three grieving kids in front of everyone. When she was a teenager, her grandmother took care of her. She did her best to figure out who she was in a world that always reminded her of her father.
But the loss did matter. As Paris got older, she had to deal with the pain of losing her father and the stress that comes with being a Jackson. She had a lot of problems with herself when she was a teenager. She has talked about how hard it is for her to deal with despair, self-harm, and thoughts of killing herself. It was hard for me to deal with my sentiments because my dad was so famous, liked, and well-known.
When Paris reached 19, she made a big and personal decision: she left her grandmother’s house and moved into her father’s private studio on the Jackson family estate. In this studio, people used to be able to make art and music. She turned it into her own home, a dormitory-style hostel where she could remember her father in her own way. This place meant a lot to her on an emotional level, and it became a safe place for her. She could begin to create a life there that wasn’t focused on what other people believed she should do, but she still felt close to her dad.
People started to notice Paris not because she was the child of a renowned person, but because she was an artist in her own right. She used music, fashion, and modeling to deal with her past, express herself, and build something that was all her own. People in the modeling business quickly learned about her since she had a unique style and didn’t care what other people thought. She didn’t let other people define her by her last name. She fought against society’s standards of beauty and loved her body and spirit.
But music was always the most important thing to her. Her first album, Wilted, came out in 2020. It was a sad group of silhouettes that displayed a sensitive, artistic side of her that had grown stronger over the years through loss and progress. The songs on the CD are about love, loss, getting well, and figuring out who you are. You can hear the pain she’s been through in her songs, but you can also hear how strong she’s become by producing something of her own.
Paris discusses honestly about her childhood in a YouTube interview with supermodel Naomi Campbell from 2021. She also added that Michael didn’t make her feel like she deserved stuff just because he was rich. They had to put in a lot of effort to get what they wanted. Birthdays weren’t about getting expensive gifts; they were about having fun and learning new things. He told her to stay grounded, to appreciate different cultures and communities, and to remember that privilege should be used with kindness, not pride.
Paris mentioned that her dad taught her how to be creative and work hard. She said he told her to be curious, ask questions, and never let what other people wanted her to be decide who she was. That legacy, maybe even more than the music, is still a part of her.
Today, Paris is in her mid-20s, yet she is still growing as a person and as an artist. The last name she has makes it seem like she hails from a wealthy family, but she is more than that. She is a tough woman who has been through a lot and still had the guts to speak up. People in the news sometimes compare Paris Jackson to her father, but she is slowly finding her own way. Her creativity, honesty, and deep, lasting love for the guy she still calls “daddy” shape the way she acts.
Michael Jackson is dead, but his memory lives on in Paris. What makes her special isn’t just her name or how well-known she is. It’s also because she’s kind, deep, and brave.
