Paris Jackson, full name Michael Katherine Jackson, born in 1998, is the only daughter of music legend Michael Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe. She also has an older brother named Michael “Prince” Jackson Jr (born in 1997) and a younger brother Prince Jackson Jr II (born in 2002).
Paris Jackson was born when the King of Pop was at the peak of his global fame. Therefore, she was sought after and cared for by the public from a young age. But in 2009, at the age of 11, Paris lost her beloved father forever, and since then the little girl’s life has faced many upheavals.
Shock after the death of legendary father
From being pampered children with a childhood lacking nothing, the 3 Jackson brothers suddenly lost their father when all 3 were still teenagers. This shocked them, especially Paris.
The image of Paris Jackson (middle) sobbing at her father’s funeral in 2009 moved the world.
At Michael Jackson’s funeral, which was watched by the whole world, the 11-year-old girl cried and shared: “Since I was born, my father has always loved me very much. He is a wonderful father. I love him very much.”
After their father passed away, Paris and her brothers suddenly became more famous, received more attention from the media and, to put it negatively, more scrutiny. And this attention made Paris’s growing up process even more complicated.
Every year, Paris Jackson receives $8 million in bonuses at the ages of 18, 33 and 40 from the $100 million fortune inherited from her father. But the material abundance cannot compensate for the spiritual deprivation of this little girl.
All three Jackson children adore and love their legendary father.
In 2010, she enrolled at Buckley School, a private school for the wealthy in the San Fernando Valley, after a long period of homeschooling. In 2013, at the age of 15, she faced depression, physical weakness and stimulant use. Paris Jackson revealed that she spent her entire teenage years thinking about suicide every day. Also in that year, Paris Jackson was sent to a reform school. But this place did not help the young girl become more stable. On the contrary, here she was constantly abused physically and mentally. She even said that she was raped at the age of 14.
“Boarding school was my nightmare. Later, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. I know how Paris Hilton felt when she faced this problem ,” Paris confided in a 2019 documentary.
Coming Out as LGBT and the Attacks from My Own Family
Paris has been bisexual since she was 14. This has created a huge wave of controversy. Paris Jackson said that although she always tried to live as privately as possible, she was still scrutinized by the public and her family. As a result, Paris suffered from increasingly severe depression. She faced opposition from her own relatives when they could not accept her niece’s public sexual orientation.
Paris Jackson growing up in the spotlight of the King of Pop wasn’t easy.
Even now, in an interview with Independent in June 2021 , Paris revealed that her family still did not support her coming out.
“I still respect my relatives. I have no choice but to explain to them. I hope one day they will accept these things ,” she confided.
Paris had many psychological problems during her teenage years.
On the show Red Table Talk hosted by Willow Smith, Paris Jackson revealed that she had lived for years with auditory hallucinations and paranoia, often afraid of sounds because she was haunted by the sound of paparazzi cameras. When she went to school, she was ostracized and isolated by her friends because of rumors that Paris was “snobbish” because of her famous father.
“Many people told me that they always thought I was a spoiled child even though they never talked to me. I never had the chance to let others know the real me ,” she said.
For many years, paparazzi have frequently caught bad images of Paris Jackson, such as smoking, dressing strangely, and even engaging in dangerous, negative behavior towards herself.
The journey of recovery after a troubled youth
Although admitting that past trauma and injuries still cause her pain, Paris Jackson now affirms that she is learning to love life more through music – her father’s great love.
Brothers Prince and Paris Jackson are both active in the entertainment industry.
Born into a musical family, Paris Jackson learned to compose music at the age of 13. She taught herself guitar online to pursue her passion. In her debut album Wilted, released in 2020, she composed many songs about her own pain and the mistakes of young people.
“I only know how to use music to express my feelings because no one understands me. I want to send songs to people I know who have fallen because of mistakes. I no longer build walls to separate myself from society and write songs with all my heart ,” Paris Jackson told the Standard.
Paris Jackson overcame past pain and gradually made her mark in the arts.
She is trying to remove the label “daughter of Michael Jackson”