Prince, born Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., recently gave an interview in which he recalled his famous father, Michael Jackson. During the conversation, he addressed the lessons MJ taught him as well as insights into their personal lives.
Michael Jackson’s eldest son, Michael “Prince” Joseph Jackson, Jr., has given an exclusive interview in which he addresses his famous father.
Prince, the eldest of the Jackson children, was only 12 years old when his father, Michael Jackson, died in 2009 at the age of 50. The 24-year-old has two younger siblings, a 22-year-old sister and a 19-year-old brother.
Prince said in an interview how he dealt with his father’s stardom and how he didn’t understand Michael Jackson was a superstar until he saw fans fainting at one of his concerts. Prince also stated that he was unsure how to deal with Michael Jackson’s celebrity.
Prince remarked that, to a large extent, his family was shielded from his father’s fame; yet, there were “little seeds growing up and becoming older” that finally culminated in a “single a-ha moment” that changed everything.
“I saw that people would follow us around, and people would simply want to reach out and touch my dad,” he said.
“But the moment that truly resonated with me happened when I was between the ages of 10 and 11, and I was watching a film of my father playing. He was performing outside in front of a large crowd.
“A lot of audience members appeared to be losing consciousness, so I turned to my father and said, ‘Why are people losing consciousness?’” Even if I see you every day, I can maintain my cool.’
The outpouring of affection for my father was obvious from the responses.
According to Prince, growing up with Michael Jackson as a parent, “music just reverberated through the halls of the house.” He also mentioned that as a child, he would listen to his father’s songs.
“When my sister and I were participating in an animal preservation demonstration, we went around my room pretesting while listening to ‘They Don’t Care About Us.’ This is one of my favorite memories.”
“I don’t have the voice for singing…and I can’t dance,” he admitted, laughing.
As the interview went, Prince was eventually questioned about the direction and teaching he had gotten and valued from his father.
