Blanket Jackson Makes Rare Appearance on What Would Have Been Michael Jackson's 65th Birthday
Blanket and Prince Jackson made a rare joint public appearance to commemorate their father Michael Jackson, who died in 2009.
Michael Jackson's youngest son, Blanket Jackson, made a rare public appearance Tuesday on what would have been his late father's 65th birthday. The 21-year-old Bigi, formerly known as Blanket, joined his brother Prince Jackson at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, where Cirque du Soleil's ongoing Michael Jackson ONE show takes place, to mark the occasion.
People from Jackson's estate were on site to host a public Q&A session to commemorate the "Human Nature" artist's "Blue Sapphire Birthday Celebration," according to an announcement shared on Cirque du Soleil's website. The King of Pop's 65th birthday coincided with the 10th anniversary of the ONE Vegas residency. Jackson's now-adult kids reportedly greeted fans inside the casino, according to PEOPLE, with the outlet also reporting that one person in attendance gave Bigi and Prince a picture of their father with an angel on it.
Blanket Jackson Makes Rare Appearance on What Would Have Been Michael Jackson’s 65th Birthday https://t.co/5ABLxtZe9W
— People (@people) August 30, 2023
The brothers were also photographed throughout the outing, with one picture shared by Hello! showing Prince, 26, and Bigi posing with a fan of their father's, and another image, posted by Today, capturing the brothers with actor Myles Frost, who portrayed Jackson in the Broadway show MJ the Musical. Following conversations between Jackson's estate and his fans, a special performance by the cast of Michael Jackson ONE took place. The celebration also included a book signing with Michael Bush, the author of The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson, as well as a meet and greet with the original Michael Jackson ONE creative team, as well as reps from the Grammy winner's estate.
Tuesday was not the first time Jackson's children have attended a celebration honoring their father's legacy. Back in August 2018, Prince and his sister, Paris Jackson, now 25, participated in the Michael Jackson Diamond Birthday Celebration at Mandalay Bay, for his 60th birthday. At the event, the siblings accepted the Elizabeth Taylor Legacy Award on their father's behalf for his humanitarian work with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
Jackson died in 2009 at age 50 of an accidental drug overdose. Marking her late father's birthday Tuesday, Paris said her father "used to hate anybody acknowledging his birthday, wishing him a happy birthday, celebrating it, nothing like that." In a video shared on Instagram, she acknowledged that there have been times that "people lose their minds" when she doesn't post in memory of her father on his birthday, though she explained that "there's always ways to get involved with raising awareness for climate change, doing so for the environment, animal rights, activism, these were things that he loved and he was very, very interested in. I can't speak for him because you know, I'm a different person and I don't know, but I'm sure he would have loved that and so if you want to pay homage and honor him on his birthday, that would be my suggestion."