Michael Jackson has undoubtedly been one of the most important figures in the world of international entertainment.
But among the awards and accolades he won for his great musical talent, was the controversy over his true paternity, which became part of his history. Even though he seemed to have it all, the so-called "King of Pop" suffered in silence.
The alleged surgeries and pedophilia made his name the constant protagonist of headlines in newspapers around the world. And even after his death, he continues to be a topic of conversation, between documentaries and films that exhibit his "darkest" secrets.
He had no luck in love either: he was married twice and never had stability. The first of them was with Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the music legend Elvis Presley, after two years the relationship came to an end and in 1997 he married his nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe. His life took a 180º turn with the birth of his children: Paris, Prince, and Blanket.
This is how speculations and theories arise about whether Michael is the biological father of the children or how they were conceived.
Conspiracy theories have repeatedly suggested that Michael Jackson is NOT the biological father of his children. The singer, who died in 2009 of a prescription drug-induced heart attack, always insisted that he was.
Debbie Rowe, who met the star while working as a nurse in a dermatology office where he was being treated for vitiligo, said Michael was upset after his split from Lisa Marie Presley that he was never able to become a father. Ella Rowe proposed to have her children and in 1996, she announced that she was pregnant. They married later that year but divorced in 1999, and Michael took full responsibility for raising the children. From that marriage were born Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, better known as Prince (1997), and Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson (1998).
Michael's youngest son, Prince Michael Jackson II, known as Blanket, was born in 2002 and was born via a surrogate, whose identity has never been known.
Despite Michael's insistence that he is the father, many people believe that he is not. Here are some of the theories:
Mark Lester is the real father of the three
Actor Mark Lester, who played Oliver in the 1968 film version of the musical, came out in 2013 to say that he is the biological father of Michael's children. He even went so far as to say that he would take a DNA test to prove it after announcing that there was a "good chance" that he was the real father of Prince, Paris, and Blanket.
Mark was close friends with Michael for more than three decades, and has been speaking out against his accusers amid the release of the controversial documentary Leaving Neverland: Michael Jackson and Me. He claims that he donated sperm to Michael before his first child was born.
Michael 'could not, have had white children
One of the reasons many people don't believe Michael was the biological father of his children is the color of his skin. Debbie Rowe, the mother of Prince and Paris, was white and Michael was black, and some people say the children couldn't have been born with such fair skin.
However, many people have pointed out the similarities between the prince and Michael's grandfather Samuel, saying that he shows they are related. Old pictures of Prince's great-grandfather show them to bear a striking resemblance.
All of the children are bushy-skinned and have facial similarities to Michael and other members of his family. Fans have also shared close-up images of Prince, revealing patches of white skin on his hands and under his arms caused by vitiligo, the skin condition that Michael claims changed his appearance so dramatically.
But dermatologists have said that a person with vitiligo is unlikely to pass on a specific gene to their children that would cause them to develop the disease.
Macaulay Culkin is the real biological father of Paris
Michael had a very close friendship with Home Alone child star Macaulay Culkin, who has regularly spoken out to defend him against allegations of abuse.
Some people believe that Macaulay is actually the biological father of Paris. The actor is the young woman's godfather, and they once marked their close bond by getting friendship tattoos.
