Prince Jackson Addresses Dad Michael's Battle With Vitiligo: 'He Had A Lot Of Insecurities'
By Fiyin Olowokandi on September 19, 2023 at 1:00 AM EDT
Over a decade after pop icon Michael Jackson passed, his son Prince Jackson is sharing the sad realities his father dealt with.
The 26-year-old son of the legendary pop star continues to honor his father’s name. Besides commemorating the late icon on his 65th posthumous birthday, the youngster sets the record straight about his dad’s changing skin color.
Before the “Bad” hitmaker passed on in 2009, several theories about him bleaching his skin to look like a white person sprung up. However, in a recent turn of events, Prince unveils the reason behind his dad’s changing color.
Prince Jackson Opens Up About His Dad’s Michael Jackson’s Insecurities With Vitiligo
In an interview with “Hotboxin’ Podcast,” Prince spoke with Mike Tyson about his demised father’s legacy as the King Of Pop before shedding light on his insecurities with Vitiligo. During the conversation, Tyson discussed the late singer’s changing skin color before he passed away.
Tyson expressed, “Everybody thought he [Michael Jackson] was changing his skin because he wanted to be white. He wanted to change it because he wanted the glow. He wanted to be the light to shine.”
Upon hearing Tyson’s views about his demised dad, Prince revealed what brought about the skin transition. He said, “When I was younger, you know, he was always explaining to me about that. He had a skin condition called Vitiligo; I don’t know what the actual medical term is…”
He added, “I think it was even on the autopsy report. I think the cause of it. It’s up for speculation, but it’s either Vitiligo or some form of Lupus that contributed to the Vitiligo.”
The actor continued revealing that his father’s skin condition had affected his confidence. Hence, he resulted to methods to make his skin color look equal. In Prince’s words, “He [Michael Jackson] had a lot of insecurity around looking blotchy in his appearance, so he wanted to see if he could smooth out his appearance to help with his security on, I guess, his physical appearance.”
The candid revelation comes almost a month after Prince honored his dad on what would have been his 65th birthday. The music producer commemorated the day, sharing an emotional throwback photo alongside a heartfelt message.
The image captured the King of Pop in an all-black attire consisting of a button-down shirt and leather pants. He left his signature black curls to fall freely over his face and added sunglasses to his looks.
The “Billie Jean” singer was accompanied by his three kids in the shot. MJ, as he was fondly addressed, carried his son Bigi in his arms while Paris and Prince flanked him.
In the post’s caption, Prince wrote, “Happy birthday dad. I miss you and love you. You may be gone but not forgotten. You’re in our hearts each and every [sic] day."
Michael Jackson’s Convicted Doctor, Conrad Murray, Has Opened Up A New Medical Facility
Meanwhile, Michael Jackson's former doctor, Conrad Murray, opened a new medical facility twelve years after being convicted. While under the care of the 70-year-old doctor, Jackson died of cardiac arrest. Two years later, Murray was charged and convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
However, Murray successfully relaunched his medical career, opening the DCM Medical Institute in El Socorro, San Juan. At the launch, the 70-year-old got candid about his professional reputation after Jackson’s death and what inspired him to open the institute.
According to the 70-year-old, his old colleagues did not welcome him because of his status as a contributing factor to the “Bad” singer’s death.
“When I returned to Trinidad, most of the colleagues I had trained felt that I was too much of a threat to be present,” the physician explained. “When all I was willing to do was to collaborate, further educate, and instill care for more and more.”
The father of seven added, “So they decided to eventfully lock the doors when they saw the cases I was performing.” However, the doctor noted he was relentless and continued to put in effort despite the negativity. Murray explained, “It was tough. I dealt with the country locking its borders for two years, but I did not give up. I felt that I had to be relentless.”
As mentioned, Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and during the process of the trial, the prosecutors tried to prove the guilt of the doctor. The prosecutors portrayed Murray as an irresponsible physician who exchanged the Hippocratic oath for $150,000 monthly.
