The conflict surrounding the inheritance of pop music king Michael Jackson has led to a prolonged legal battle and significantly strained relations among his three children. Paris Jackson, a 28-year-old singer and actress, continues to contest the distribution of the inheritance, which is valued at $789 million (over 61 billion rubles).
According to RadarOnline, her brothers—29-year-old Prince and 24-year-old Blanket—have all but stopped communicating with her.
Disagreements intensified after Paris achieved a partial victory, winning $625,000 (approximately 48 million rubles) from the legal team representing the estate. These funds were recovered for unjustified bonus payments. The lawsuit was initially filed by all three heirs, but according to a knowledgeable source, the brothers soon lost interest in actively participating in the case.
They realized it wasn’t about protecting Michael’s legacy, the insider explained.
Paris initiated the legal proceedings due to criticism over the generous bonuses paid to lawyers and demanded full financial disclosure regarding the estate. The executors of the will insist they acted within the law and deny any wrongdoing.
However, the brothers perceived their sister’s stance as a struggle for control over the inheritance and became so drained that their communication with Paris has been reduced to a minimum. If they do communicate, it’s only through lawyers or representatives.
It’s no longer a discussion around the table but purely a business relationship, which is very sad, the source noted.
Recall that Michael Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009, in Los Angeles at the age of 50. The official cause of death was acute cardiac arrest triggered by an overdose of potent drugs. Paris, Prince, and Prince Michael II (Blanket) are beneficiaries of the trust.
The conflict first emerged last year when Paris raised doubts about the bonuses paid for managing the estate in 2018. The managers argued that their fees were in line with industry standards and that their efforts had significantly increased the fund’s revenue.
At the time of Michael’s death, his debts exceeded $500 million. The managers, John Branca and John McClain, later claimed they had pulled the estate out of crisis. Nevertheless, Paris accused them of betraying trust for personal gain, which they categorically denied. In May, the court acknowledged that the managers’ efforts had indeed made the estate financially successful, but the bonuses were not properly approved and must be returned.
Tensions among Jackson’s children escalated ahead of the release of the biographical film “Michael,” which became the highest-grossing music biopic in history. In Russia, the film has long surpassed the 1 billion ruble mark. Prince served as one of the film’s producers, while Paris, even before the premiere, criticized the project on social media, stating that her script notes were not taken into account and that she had chosen to go her own way.
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