Blanket Jackson Has Changed His Name, And It’s Made All The Difference

The death of Michael Jackson was tough for millions of the King of Pop’s fans around the world, but no one could feel the pain more than his own children, and particularly Blanket Jackson, who was only seven-years-old when his father died from cardiac arrest brought on by powerful sedatives in 2009.

But a source close to the Jackson family revealed that Blanket Jackson, who had been shy and private for the past eight years, is growing more “confident” after changing his name to “Bigi.”

Blanket Jackson, who was reportedly bullied numerous times for his name, is looking to start his life from scratch under the name Bigi Jackson, according to the source cited by People magazine.

Despite the highly-publicized chaos within the Jackson family – driven by their reported attempts to divide the late King of Pop’s legacy, and namely the Calabasas estate – the source says Michael Jackson’s kids live as if “Michael is constantly looking down upon them.”

The lives of Michael Jackson’s kids have come under increased scrutiny after the King of Pop’s death in 2009. And Blanket Jackson, now 15-years-old, has struggled to cope with his father’s death the hardest.

The source says that before Blanket Jackson changed his name to “Bigi,” he acted “very lost and extremely upset,” which was in part the result of being bullied for years.

But with the name change to “Bigi,” Blanket Jackson is trying his best to lead a normal life. Although the source says the 15-year-old is still “shy around people he doesn’t know,” he’s pretty “confident” in his school, practices martial arts, and spends time with his friendly and nearly 30 cousins.

In fact, Blanket Jackson even made a rare social media appearance earlier this month. His sister Paris Jackson shared an Instagram story that showed Bigi Jackson wearing a black hoodie with a big smile on his face.

Blanket Jackson is reportedly living at his grandmother’s house in Calabasas, but there have been all kinds of controversial reports over the months claiming that the 15-year-old is living there all alone.

Bigi Jackson, whose mother was an unnamed surrogate, is reportedly staying at the mansion under the custody of 87-year-old Katherine, whose life has been plagued by court hearings over her elder abuse case against nephew Trent Jackson.

While Katherine’s elder abuse case is said to be a byproduct of tensions within the family – with members of the Jackson clan reportedly pulling the matriarch’s strings to gain control over the mansion – Blanket Jackson also has co-guardian T.J. Jackson, 38-years-old, Michael’s nephew.

Despite the media reports claiming that Bigi has been living at the huge mansion unsupervised, a source close to the Jackson clan was last week quoted by the New York Daily News as saying that Blanket Jackson actually “does not live alone.”

The source assures that T.J. and his wife as well as their four children have been living with Bigi at the Calabasas mansion. Besides, a chef, a housekeeper, and two nannies have also been keeping Blanket Jackson company.

T.J., who also has his own home 40 miles away from the Calabasas estate, has been reportedly caring for the youngest child of Michael Jackson since the King of Pop’s death in 2009.

The source slammed the controversial rumors surrounding Blanket Jackson and his unsupervised upbringing. Last month, the reports of Bigi’s unsupervised stay at the Calabasas mansion caused quite a stir in the media, with many publications alleging that Blanket was home alone after Katherine went to London to help her daughter Janet Jackson, 51-years-old, take care of her newborn baby.

[Featured Image by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images]