Tuesday (August 29) marked what would have been Michael Jackson’s 65th birthday. In honor of the milestone, Paris Jackson shared a series of videos in her Instagram story about how best to honor the late, great icon.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Today is my dad’s birthday and, back when he was alive, he used to hate anybody acknowledging his birthday,” Jackson said on social media. “He actually didn’t want us to know when his birthday was, because he didn’t want us to throw a party.”
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Jackson then went on to comment on the “need” to post something about a loved one’s birthday on social media and pushed back at any negative fan remarks about her relationship with her dad.
“That being said, social media is apparently how people express their love and affection these days,” Jackson continued. “And if you don’t wish someone a happy birthday via social media, it apparently means you don’t love them.
“There have been times when I don’t post anything for my dad’s birthday and people lose their fucking minds,” she added. “They tell me to kill myself. They are measuring my love for my own father based on what I post.”
In an effort to appease the “Bad” singer’s super fans, Jackson cut to a video of her on stage praising her father’s legacy.
“He put 50 years of blood, sweat, tears, love, and passion into doing what he did so that I could stand up here on stage and scream into a microphone,” Jackson told a crowd. “I owe everything to him.”
After the short, but very sweet tribute to her dad, Jackson then offered some advice on how best to celebrate what would have been her father’s birthday – given that he didn’t like to celebrate his birthday when he was alive.
She suggested fans find ways to get involved with climate change or animal rights efforts. “These were things that he loved and was very, very interested in,” Jackson said.
Check out the full video below.
Photo: Nas Bogado / Republic Records
