Prince Jackson Stays With Family Amid Arnold Klein’s Death
Prince Jackson, Michael Jackson’s oldest son, stayed close to family this weekend following the news that his father’s long-time friend and dermatologist, Arnold Klein, passed away.
The King of Pop’s oldest son has continuously heard rumors and speculations regarding his paternity, specifically that his biological father was actually Arnold Klein. The 18-year-old never commented back on this issue, until earlier this month, just weeks before Klein’s death. Huffington Post Canada reports that the young college student took to Twitter in October, to defend himself after being told once again that Klein was his real father.
“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. I was raised by my dad with my brother and sister.”
Only a few weeks later, Klein passed away at age 70, in Rancho Mirage, California. Yet, critics and skeptics waiting on Prince to respond to the dermatologist’s death were mistaken. Instead, Prince spent the weekend with his older cousin and co-guardian, T.J. Jackson. The Mirror reports that Prince, wearing a blue Ford tank top, khaki cargo shorts, and a group of necklaces, was all smiles while walking down a Los Angeles sidewalk with T.J. by his side.
Prince seemed in good spirits on his outing, and was spotted numerous times joking and laughing with his cousin. If he was in any way upset about the news of Klein’s death, it didn’t seem to show.
Although the rumors of Klein being Prince’s biological father began shortly after Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, Klein himself fueled the fire in 2013 after he posted a pic of his younger self and a photo of Prince next to it, on his social media account.
Yet, Klein never once admitted that he indeed was Prince’s biological father, nor did he ever deny it. He always maintained that it wasn’t for him to say either way.
Since Michael Jackson’s death, Prince, along with his younger siblings, Paris and Blanket, have been raised by their paternal grandmother, Katherine Jackson, in California. Later on, T.J. Jackson, the son of Tito Jackson, became co-guardian of Michael’s children. Klein was never guardian, nor a parental figure, in any of the children’s lives. Yet, he did visit the children during the holidays and other occasions when their father was still alive.
T.J., however, takes pride in taking care of his young cousins, as noted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“Being guardian to my uncle Michael’s kids takes a lot of time, and it’s something that I put a lot of effort into and take a lot of pride in. For me, I just want to do well for my uncle, and he was such an important person for me when I lost my mother as a 16 year old that I’m just trying to repay him.”
It’s hopeful that, now that Klein has passed away, the rumors and speculation regarding Prince’s paternity will cease. Regardless of who the biological father is, according to numerous Jackson fans, Michael Jackson was the real father to all three of his children.
Meanwhile, Prince Jackson appears in the new reality show, The Jacksons: Next Generation, airing on Lifetime on Fridays at 10/9c. The new show, which features Tito’s three sons, Taj, Taryll, and T.J., sheds light into the lives of the youngest generation of Jacksons, which the family hopes will help squash ongoing false rumors about the King of Pop and his children.
[Photos Courtesy of Valerie Macon/Getty Images, Michael Buckner/Getty Images & Twitter]
