As the Grammy Awards prepare to honor the late King of Pop with a Lifetime Achievement Award, Joe Jackson says he is proud to have his grandchildren accept the award on his son's behalf.
According to reports, Michael Jackson's two eldest children, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael, 12, are scheduled to take the stage at Saturday's Special Merit Awards ceremony at L.A.'s Wilshire Ebell Theater.
"I am very proud that my son, Michael Jackson, is a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Grammy," Joe Jackson said in a statement Saturday. "However, there [have] been some recent rumors that I am displeased with the idea that Michael's children are accepting the award on my son's behalf. On the contrary, I am very proud of my grandchildren. Katherine and I are the ones that [have] initiated their participation."
But it remains unclear whether the children will make an appearance, as other reports claim, onstage for the Grammy telecast on Sunday.
The tribute planned for the telecast includes a 3-D film clip the pop sensation made before his death in June and performances by Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Celine Dion and Smokey Robinson.
"I thank the Recording Academy for their honor and know that Michael would have been very pleased to receive such recognition," Joe Jackson continued. "I am very proud of my family and I will continue to seek justice for my son."
Watch the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards tommorrow (Sunday, January 31st) at 8:00 pm (ET), live on CBS.
Michael Jackson's father Joe has confirmed the late King of Pop was the biological father of Omer Bhatti, the boy long rumored to be his fourth child.
Speculation surrounding the relationship between Jackson and the 25-year-old dancer reached fever pitch after Bhatti was given a front row seat at the entertainer's Los Angeles memorial service in July.
Bhatti is said to have requested a DNA test to determine if Jackson was his dad, amid reports the singer fathered him after a one night stand in 1984.
Joe Jackson has now stepped in to end the long-standing rumours, noting the pair's striking similarities and insisting he's always known about his son's secret child.
He tells Newsone.com, "Yes I knew he had another son, yes I did. He looks like a Jackson, he acts like a Jackson, he can dance like a Jackson. This boy is a fantastic dancer as a matter of fact. I don't know (if he will be the future of the Jacksons). I can't say that yet until I see it happen."
Reports from the U.S. allege Bhatti's mother, Pia, is also the mother of Jackson's youngest son, Prince Micheal II, aka Blanket - who was delivered by an anonymous surrogate. The singer's two eldest children Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11, were born to Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe.
There was an unexpected but most welcome figure on the red carpet of Los Angeles's Shrine Auditorium for Sunday night's BET Awards: Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson.
Sporting a black hat, sunglasses and a dark suit – and set to make an appearance onstage during the three-hour ceremony – the patriarch of the Jackson family told CNN about Michael: "I wish the world had recognized him when he was living. Right now, he's bigger than ever. But I wish he was here to see all this, to hear all this."
The memory of Michael dominated the gala. Host Jamie Foxx made his entrance in a red, leather "Billie Jean" jacket. "No need to be sad. We want to celebrate this black man," said Foxx. "We gonna go through all of Michael Jackson."
The host closed his opening monologue with his rendition of Jackson's signature Moonwalk. "I hope I can make it," said Foxx, adding that it was his first attempt at the fancy footwork since 1983.
Those that also tipped their hats to Michael included Beyoncé, Ne-Yo, Maxwell and Bobby Brown, set to reunite with New Edition to perform a Jackson 5 medley.
Alicia Keys and Wyclef Jean received Humanitarian Awards. Early in the ceremony, LeBron James, picking up his best male athlete trophy, told the crowd, "My heart and prayers go out to the whole Jackson family. What they did for us ... was amazing."
As the Grammy Awards prepare to honor the late King of Pop with a Lifetime Achievement Award, Joe Jackson says he is proud to have his grandchildren accept the award on his son's behalf.
