Paris and Prince Jackson Honor Their Father, Michael Jackson, on his 60th Birthday

Words by Melissa Gabriel

During Michael Jackson’s 60th birthday on Wednesday, his son Prince Jackson, 21, and daughter Paris Jackson, 20, went to the Michael Jackson Diamond Birthday Celebration at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.  They shared recollections of the “Beat It” artist, who passed away on June 25, 2009 at age 50.

“We celebrate our father and his legacy in our own ways,,” said Paris, a yearning vocalist.  “It’s really exciting to be here because this is just a celebration of love, and obviously today is very meaningful to so many people. I think we honor him every day. It’s not so much the date; it’s more just the feeling of it. But, there’s a lot of love here tonight. I’m really excited about that.”

According to Prince, fulfilling Michael’s legacy is a honor. “As my sister was saying, he led by example, and he obviously had a much larger platform than everyday people do have,” he said. In honoring Michael, the undergrad told E! News he set an objective to “help somebody else out” once every day,  “even if it’s a complete stranger.” Supporting your local community isn’t hard, he argued, and there is a lot “that doesn’t require an extravagant amount of effort.”

Prince also added,  “I’m very excited to be here tonight,”. “I’m very honored that I’m able to be a part of something that’s very groundbreaking—not just within the AIDS research, with Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, but also with the charitable contributions that my dad has made throughout the history of his life—as well as posthumously the way he set up his estate.”

Michael’s siblings, Jackie Jackson and Tito Jackson were in attendance at the celebration. Additionally, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Hudgens, Mark Ronson, Evan Ross, Ashlee Simpson Ross, Gabrielle Union and Usher were also present to celebrate this special celebration for the King of Pop.