Paris Jackson paid tribute to her late father, Michael Jackson, on stage while marking what would have been his 65th birthday.
Paris, 25, spoke candidly about the King of Pop during her performance at Las Colonias Park Amphitheater in Colorado, subsequently sharing a video of the heartfelt moment via her Instagram Story on Tuesday, August 29. She acknowledged Michael as she spoke to the crowd and held what appeared to be a poster.
“He would have been 65 years old today,” she said. “And he put 50 years of blood, sweat and tears and love and passion into doing what he did, so that I can stand up here on stage in front of you and scream into a microphone. So I owe everything to him.”
Paris then introduced the audience to her “other family,” turning to her band. The Colorado lineup also included rock bands Incubus and Badflower.
Before taking the stage, Paris shared another video taken in her dressing room. She remembered how Michael approached his birthday before his death in 2009, saying, “Back when he was alive, he used to hate anybody acknowledging his birthday, wishing him a happy birthday, celebrating it — nothing like that. He actually didn’t want us to even know when his birthday was, because he didn’t want us to throw a party, or anything like that.”
Paris was 11 years old when her dad died, and public interest in her family has only grown since then. “Social media is apparently how people express their love and affection these days and if you don’t wish someone a happy birthday via social media, it apparently means that you don’t love them, that you don’t care about them,” she said.
Paris claimed that “people lose their f–king minds” if she doesn’t honor Michael’s birthday online. “They tell me to kill myself,” she said. “They’re basically measuring my love for my own father based off of what I post on Instagram.”
In a subsequent clip, Paris shared advice for anyone who identifies as an “MJ superfan” when it comes to the proper birthday tribute for Michael (or lack thereof). She encouraged her followers to instead raise awareness for social justice issues like climate change, animal rights and more.
“These were things that he loved and was very interested in,” she said. “I can’t speak for him, because I’m a different person and I don’t know, but I’m sure he would have loved that.”
Along with Paris, Michael shared son Prince (born Michael Jackson Jr.) with ex-wife Debbie Rowe. The former couple were married from 1996 to 2000. Michael later welcomed son Prince Michael Jackson II (previously known as Blanket, now Bigi) in 2002.
