by Maggy DONALDSON
In the months following pop icon Michael Jackson’s shock death on June 25, 2009, his inner circle found themselves thrust into the spotlight.
Ten years on, as the late King of Pop faces lurid allegations of pedophilia from men he kept close as youths, here’s a look at what’s become of the rest of the eccentric bunch surrounding MJ:
– Children –
Jackson went to great lengths to shield his three children — Michael Joseph “Prince” Jr (22), Paris (21) and Prince Michael II, better known as “Blanket” (17) — from the paparazzi, often putting masks on them in public.
Since his death the two older children have slowly started embracing the limelight, and are active on social media.
The eldest son has said he neither sings nor dances but still entertains hopes of a showbiz career, founding King’s Son Productions in 2016.
Paris has made several awards show appearances, modeled for labels including Calvin Klein and Chanel, and along with her boyfriend forms the folk-rock duo The Soundflowers.
She has struggled with mental health and admitted trying to kill herself in 2013. But she slammed reports she attempted suicide again earlier this year — shortly after the release of the bombshell documentary accusing her father of child sex abuse.
Blanket, who was born to an unnamed surrogate and now prefers to go by “Bigi,” is still in high school and has mostly laid low as he comes of age.
Perhaps his most famous world appearance was in 2002 when he was still an infant — and his father dangled him over the balcony of a chic Berlin hotel.
– Parents –
Joe Jackson — known as the demanding patriarch of the Jackson clan, with whom Michael had a strained relationship — died on June 27, 2018 at age 89.
He launched his family’s dynasty as manager of The Jackson 5 sibling group, steering at times the careers of Michael and daughter Janet.
Often criticized as a stringent taskmaster, Joe was left out of Michael’s will and failed to win bids for compensation.
Katherine Jackson, Michael’s now 89-year-old mother, gained custody of his three children following his death and is a beneficiary of the family trust.
– Siblings –
Michael’s sister Janet, 53, is a pop icon in her own right and earlier this year nabbed a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
An artist whose synth-driven sound came to define the cutting edge of New York’s club scene in the late 1980s, Janet in recent years has continued to tour and focus on charity efforts.
She gave birth to a son in January 2017.
Michael’s brothers — Jackie, Tito, Marlon, Jermaine and Randy — have been among the most vocal backers of his legacy despite the troubling allegations against him.
They have continued to tour and record in various combinations.
Sisters La Toya, 63, and Maureen, 69, have had minor singing careers, with the former taking a turn on a number of reality television shows.
The siblings were left out of Michael’s will — a subject of much legal wrangling — with the estate divvied out to charity, his mother and his children.
– Exes –
Debbie Rowe — a nurse and Michael’s second wife, with the pair marrying in 1996 — is the mother of the singer’s eldest children but was largely absent while Michael was alive.
Since his death she struck a deal with his mother for some visits with the kids.
Lisa Marie Presley — the daughter of Elvis, who wed Michael in 1994 — has long denied that her short-lived marriage to the popstar was a cover-up to revive his image following pedophilia accusations, as many reports suggested.
A musician, she has married and divorced four times, including to actor Nicolas Cage and guitarist Michael Lockwood, and is a mother of four.
“I do believe he loved me as much as he could love anyone and I loved him very much,” she wrote on MySpace after Michael’s death.
– Doctors –
Conrad Murray, 66, administered the anesthetic propofol to Jackson in a dose that ultimately triggered the singer’s cardiac arrest and untimely death.
He was found guilty in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter after a highly publicized trial. Murray was released from California prison two years before his four-year sentence finished on good behavior.
He has since maintained his innocence but lost medical licenses in several states, and maintains a low profile.
Arnold Klein, Jackson’s longtime dermatologist and friend, died in 2015 at age 70.
The “King of Collagen” popular among A-listers treated Jackson for the skin disorder vitiligo. Rumors swirled that donated sperm was used to father Jackson’s eldest children — their mother Rowe worked in his clinic — but were never confirmed.
– Lawyers –
Jackson’s siblings have complained of the management of his estate, which was entrusted to entertainment lawyer John Branca and the late superstar’s lawyer, John McClain.
The co-executors are nevertheless credited with transforming Michael’s hundreds of millions of dollars in debt into assets worth more than $1 billion.
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© Agence France-Presse
/AFP