Michael Jackson's father confirmed star had 'a third son'
MICHAEL JACKSON reportedly to had a "secret son" from before he had children with Debbie Rowe, something his father, Joe Jackson, later confirmed. Since then, Paris Jackson has spoken out about her connection with her "older brother".
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Rumours began in the early 2000s that Michael Jackson had fathered another child in the 1980s. The child, Omer Bhatti, was born in 1984 to a Norwegian family who lived in Oslo. After spending some time with Michael, Omer and his family moved from Oslo to California, USA, to work for the Jackson family. Omer's mother, Pia Bhatti, was hired as a nanny for Blanket Jackson, who was born on February 21, 2002.
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Michael died on June 25, 2009 from a drug overdose, brought on by a cocktail of medicines administered to him by his doctor.
Just over a month later, in July 2009, Michael's father Joe Jackson all but confirmed the star's connection to Omer.
Speaking to TV One, Joe said of Omer: "Yes, I knew he had another son, yes I did."
He added: "He looks like a Jackson, he can dance like a Jackson. This boy is a fantastic dancer. Matter of fact, he teaches dance."
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Earlier that same month Michael's brother, Jermaine Jackson, added that Omer - who was 25-years-old at the time - would become a part of the Jackson family if it was proven that they were related.
He told The Daily Mail: "If Omer's his son, he's his son. We won't deny it.
"We are going to give him the same love and care that we give Prince and Paris and Blanket. I can't clearly say if he is Michael's but I saw this kid around him."
Omer grew up dressing up as Michael and playing a young impersonator of the Thriller singer.
Omer previously revealed he and his parents met Michael in Tunisia in 1996. (Via AmoMama)
He later said of Michael: "He, in a way, adopted me."
However, his mother, Pia, "denied" he was fathered by the King of Pop (Via AmoMama).
Joe and Jermaine weren't the only members of the family to welcome Omer into the club.
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Paris Jackson discusses 'chill' relationship with her mother
Paris Jackson, Michael's daughter, spoke about seeing her "two older brothers" earlier this year - referring to Prince Jackson and Omer.
She said during her Facebook Watch series Unfiltered: "Anytime we see each other... we feel recharged when we spend time together.
"Both of my older brothers are like my best friends. I love them so much."
The connection obviously ran both ways, as Omer commented on his relationship with Paris as well.
Omer said during Unfiltered: "I would say I almost partly raised her. She’s my little sister in every way."
Speaking about joining the Jackson family, Omer said: "It was a lot of joy for me as well because I also wanted younger siblings and I got that through Prince, Paris, and Bigi [Blanket]."
