Janet Jackson Leads Family In Tributes On 14th Anniversary Of Michael Jackson's Passing

Sunday, June 25, marked fourteen years since the unfortunate death of the legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and his family is paying homage to his memory.

Michael, an inspiration to many, died from cardiac arrest in 2009 caused by a drug overdose, devastating his devout followers worldwide.

In honor of his memory, his family recently took to social media with heartwarming tributes, beginning with his younger sister Janet Jackson, who reminisced about their good times. 

Janet, who had a close relationship with her late brother both in the spotlight and away from it, took to Instagram to honor the late Michael's memory with words of affection. She shared two beautiful throwback pictures of the duo.

The first displayed them when they were younger, while the other showed them as grownups, decked in leather and fur and playing what looked like a video game. Choosing not to express her feelings with words, the 57-year-old captioned the post with a white heart emoji.

Following her tribute, her brother Tito Jackson celebrated the deceased's memory with an old photo of the Jackson 5, where the four older brothers — Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon — were seen carrying a grinning Michael.

"The world truly was a better place with you in it, Michael," Tito wrote in the caption. "I miss you." Sister LaToya Jackson, the fifth child of the eight Jackson children, honored her younger brother's memory next with a throwback image of him in military regalia costume.

Taking to the caption, she said, "You will always be missed, loved, and admired for your humbleness, kindness, ability to love, and incredible talent that you shared with the world! May you continue to RIP."

The King of Pop's elder brother, Jackie, followed suit with a black-and-white image of the late icon, captioned, "There's never a day that goes by that I don't think about my brother, because he's all around us."

Subsequently, Michael's daughter Paris Jackson posted an image of her father's hand holding a poster that read, "I love you." Although she did not mention any names on the update, it is safe to assume it was in honor of her father, given the timing of her post.

Her brother, Prince Jackson, was not so cryptic in his Story as he uploaded a shot of Michael carrying him as a baby. "Miss you, Dad," he wrote, adding the late musicians' song "Gone Too Soon."

The "Beat It" vocalist's nephews — Tito's son, Taryll, and Jackie's son, Siggy — also joined in the celebration of life, expressing how much they miss Michael. Taryll's note partly read, "You always poured love into the world. No matter what it gave back in return, you continued to love because you believed love would always win. The world misses you."

Similarly, Siggy proclaimed, "A universal, timeless imprint so strong that it makes people interested in anything related to him. From the bottom of my heart, I'm thankful for my family's hard work in making this last name the blueprint."

Despite Michael's death, his estate ensures his legacy lives on, not only by running his music business. Recently, his estate worked to restore his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The restoration was revealed in the court documents obtained by The Blast in May as part of accounting for other expenses made by the estate, including taxes.

In the papers, the estate paid the "Hollywood Historical Trust" $2,500 to restore the deceased's iconic star, causing it to be listed as "charity" in the accounting. 

The 14th anniversary of the "Thriller" actor's passing comes months after it was announced that an upcoming Lionsgate biopic titled "Michael," centered on his inspiring life, is in the works and will have his nephew Jaafar Jackson in the lead role.

Jaafar was beyond excited about the gig as he took to Instagram with a thankful message that read, "I'm humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael's story to life. To all the fans worldwide, I'll see you soon."

The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and co-produced by Graham King, has no release date yet, but filming is expected to start next year or in 2025. The film’s director Fuqua shares similar opinions about the rising Hollywood star as he admitted to Variety that "it’s fascinating to watch Jaafar bring Michael to life."

He also spoke of the "spiritual connection" he felt when he first met the younger Jackson, who had "a great chemistry with the camera" and "a natural ability to emulate Michael."