Prince Jackson & Blanket Jackson Make Rare Appearance In Jackson Family Photo
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00:00 It was a family affair for the Jacksons.
00:02 Michael Jackson's family posted a rare group photo
00:05 to the Jacksons' Facebook page
00:07 from a gathering in Las Vegas
00:09 to honor what would have been his 65th birthday.
00:12 In the photo, Michael's 26-year-old son, Prince Jackson,
00:15 and 21-year-old son, Biggie Blanket Jackson,
00:18 posed alongside their uncle, Jackie Jackson,
00:20 who was accompanied by his wife, Emily Besselink,
00:23 and his nine-year-old twin sons, Jaylen and River,
00:27 and 41-year-old daughter, Brandi Jackson.
00:29 A special family gathering
00:31 at Michael Jackson's Blue Sapphire birthday celebration,
00:35 the Jackson family's caption read,
00:37 "The event was held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
00:40 and co-hosted by Michael's estate and Cirque du Soleil,
00:43 the performance company behind the Michael Jackson One Show."
00:46 Blanket's appearance at the event was a rare one,
00:48 as the family has mainly kept him out of the public eye
00:51 since his father's death in 2009.
00:53 But Prince took to his Instagram
00:55 to also honor Michael's 65th birthday
00:58 by posting a throwback pic of him smiling at the camera
01:00 with his dad, who was holding Blanket,
01:03 and their sister, Pairs,
01:04 who was not in attendance at the special event.
01:07 "Happy birthday, Dad.
01:08 I miss you and I love you.
01:10 You may be gone but not forgotten.
01:12 You're in our hearts each and every day."
01:14 Prince penned in the caption.
01:16 Even since the King of Pop's death,
01:18 his children have always stayed very close.
01:20 In October 2022, Access Hollywood caught up with Prince
01:23 at his Thriller Night Halloween Party Benefit Gala,
01:26 and he gushed over the bond he has with his siblings.
01:30 - Love your costume. - Thank you, thank you.
01:31 I love yours.
01:32 - What was the inspiration?
01:34 - During the pandemic,
01:35 my girlfriend and I got really into Mario Brothers,
01:37 and I was always Mario and she was always Peach,
01:40 so we said, "Let's do it."
01:41 - I love it, I love it.
01:42 So how does it be here to honor your father's song,
01:45 reaching such a milestone?
01:47 Must be extra special knowing your father's musical legacy.
01:50 - 100%, 100%.
01:52 We were talking about it with my team in the morning.
01:54 You can feel it in the air.
01:55 There's this electricity.
01:56 It's just incredible.
01:58 I wasn't here when Thriller was made,
02:00 but a lot of my cousins were here.
02:01 A lot of people who were on this property were here,
02:03 and to hear their stories,
02:05 and here we are 40 years later,
02:07 like you said, it's a monumental achievement.
02:09 - Totally.
02:10 Do you ever see a world where you and your siblings
02:12 might release music together someday?
02:14 - Ooh, definitely not for myself.
02:16 - Not a singer? - No, definitely not.
02:18 - Not a singer.
02:19 - I can't say anything for my brother,
02:20 but my sister has her own fantastic musical career.
02:23 - I love that.
02:24 Yes, fans love the bond you share with your siblings.
02:26 How does it feel having that close-knit family
02:29 tie in with your siblings?
02:31 - Family's important.
02:32 It's what we were raised with,
02:33 and it's a community that we can always rely on,
02:36 and for that reason,
02:37 it's just an honor to have that bond with them.
02:40 I feel supported.
02:41 I know that I support them,
02:42 and it's just such an incredible relationship.
02:46 - I love that, and obviously, you're dressed as Mario.
02:49 Are your siblings coordinating with you tonight?
02:51 - No, my girlfriend is coordinating with me tonight.
02:53 I don't know what my sister is gonna be,
02:55 and I don't know what my brother's gonna be,
02:57 so I have a feeling my brother's gonna be something
02:59 that you won't recognize him in, so he can hide.
03:01 He's very incognito like that,
03:02 but my sister always does a really awesome costume,
03:05 so I'm excited to see what she comes in.
03:06 - Oh my gosh, I can't wait.
03:07 So do you have any fun memories of Halloween
03:09 growing up with your dad and siblings?
03:11 - Yes, yes.
03:12 When we were younger,
03:13 when we didn't go out to trick-or-treat,
03:15 my dad used to come in with bags filled with,
03:18 like garbage bags filled with candy,
03:19 and we used to trade them around
03:20 while we were on the arcade room floor,
03:23 the game table floor,
03:24 and it's just such a great holiday,
03:28 because I feel like nobody takes themselves seriously
03:30 when you're in costume, you know what I mean?
03:32 It brings down those barriers,
03:33 so I feel like it rekindles that inner child,
03:36 which is what my father was all about,
03:37 so it just emulates that feeling.
03:40 - Totally.
03:40 Okay, and we spoke to Ola Ray,
03:42 who starred as your father's girlfriend
03:44 in the famous thriller music video,
03:46 and she told us what it was like seeing him do his thing.
03:49 We have a little video right here for you.
03:51 - It was so exciting watching him.
03:53 He was so powerful,
03:55 and just, he was such a perfectionist.
03:57 He kept saying, "Okay, let's do it again,
03:59 "let's do it again, let's do it again."
04:00 - What's it like hearing that
04:01 from someone who worked so closely with him?
04:03 - That is, from my experience with my father,
04:05 that describes him very, very well,
04:07 and from other people that I've connected with recently
04:10 that knew my father, that worked with my father,
04:12 he was a perfectionist,
04:13 and I think that's what made him so great,
04:15 his attention to detail
04:16 and his dedication to getting it right.
04:18 - Totally, and I heard also, he's such a prankster.
04:21 Did he have any, did he pull any crazy pranks on you guys
04:24 when you guys were younger?
04:24 - Yes, when he actually showed us the thriller music video,
04:27 he told us it was real,
04:28 and then started acting like he was transforming,
04:30 and my sister and I ran out the room.
04:32 - Stop. - Yeah, yeah.
04:32 - Totally freaked out? - It was terrifying, terrifying.
04:34 Thought it was real. - Oh my God, I love that.
04:36 Well, thank you so much for--
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