Michael Jackson's daughter says he 'hated' birthday celebrations amid backlash
Paris Jackson has honoured her late father Michael Jackson on what would have been his 65th birthday.
The 25-year-old took to social media to pay tribute to the Thriller hitmaker, and revealed her dad “hated” celebrating his birthday and even refused to tell people when his birthday was. In a series of videos on her Instagram Stories, Paris said her dad, who died in 2009 when she was just 11 years old, would avoid anything to do with his birthday, and even refused to attend parties.
“So today is my dad’s birthday. And back when he was alive, he used to hate anybody acknowledging his birthday, wishing him a ‘Happy Birthday’, celebrating it - nothing like that. He actually didn’t want us to even know when his birthday was, because he didn’t want us to throw a party, or anything like that,” the singer explained.
Paris then took aim at the cruel online trolls who have criticised her in the past for not publicly celebrating her dad’s birthday, despite him hating celebrating it when he was alive. “If you don’t wish someone a ‘Happy Birthday’ via social media, it apparently means that you don’t love them, that you don’t care about them,” she fumed.
Paris was disappointed her followers had told her to “kill myself” when she’s chosen not to share a post wishing her later father a happy birthday, and said “people lose their f***ing minds” over her choice to stay true to her father’s wishes. “They’re basically telling me that I don’t love my own father, based on what I post on Instagram - so I made you guys a little video and I hope you enjoy it,” she added.
Trump's awkward confession about Lisa Marie Presley & Michael Jackson's sex lifeThe singer then posted another video showing her onstage paying tribute to Michael, and proudly told the audience about her dad as she paid an emotional tribute to the Smooth Criminal hitmaker. “It’s also my dad’s birthday. And he would have been 65 years old today, and he put 50 years of blood, sweat and tears and love and passion into doing what he did, so that I can stand up here on stage in front of you and scream into a microphone,” she joked.
“So, I owe everything to him,” Paris sweetly added. She then tried to encourage fans of her father to mark his birthday by getting involved with causes close to his heart, including animal rights activism. “These were things that he loved and was very interested in, and I can’t speak for him, because I’m a different person and I don’t know, but I’m sure he would have loved that,” she explained.
Paris was in Las Vegas recently, alongside her brothers Prince Jackson, 26, and Bigi Jackson (formerly known as Blanket), 21, to honour their father by sharing their favourite memories of him with fans at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The trio made a rare public appearance together as they visited Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson ONE show ahead of the star’s birthday.