The Complete Transformation Of Michael Jackson's Oldest Son, Prince

On June 25, 2009, the world was rocked by the news of Michael Jackson's death. In addition to being a global icon who changed the pop music landscape, Michael Jackson was also a father of three to Prince Jackson, Paris Jackson, and Bigi Jackson (formerly known as Blanket). In addition to countless hit singles and a revolutionary dance move that other performers continue to attempt to this day, Michael's legacy lives on thanks to his children.

When asked about what it was like to be the son of one of the biggest stars in recent history, Prince told "Good Morning Britain" that it never seemed strange to him. "That's kind of all I knew, so that was really normal for me," he said. "I'm just very grateful and honored that I got to spend the time with him that I did and soaked up as much information that I could from him."

Only 12 when his father died, Prince stepped into the spotlight to speak on behalf of his family at an early age. In addition to protecting his father's legacy, Prince has since cultivated a legacy of his own, ranging from entrepreneurial feats to philanthropic ventures. MJ's eldest has certainly grown up right in front of our eyes, and the transformation has been incredible, to say the least. To learn more about his journey through adulthood, here is the stunning transformation of Michael Jackson's firstborn child, Prince Jackson.

On February 13, 1997, Michael Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe welcomed Prince Jackson to the world. As a child of a global icon, one would assume Prince's life was heavily publicized due to his father's popularity. Michael, however, was conscious of his growing child's life and kept him away from the limelight. 

Prince's father made this desire for privacy clear the moment his son was born. As Michael said in a statement at the time (via MTV News), "I grew up in a fish bowl and will not allow that to happen to my child. Please respect our wishes and give my son his privacy."

Prince has described his father as a down-to-earth parent who taught him valuable lessons money can't buy. That said, being the son of the King of Pop also meant living a privileged and unique life. "I was born out here in Los Angeles, and then around when I was like 6 or 7 I think, I left the country with my father," he shared on an episode of the"Find Your Grind" podcast. "I lived in Bahrain, Dubai, and Oman for a while." He looks back on this time with fondness, noting that living abroad at a young age had a positive impact on him. "It opened up my eyes, not only to see how the other side lives but to be understanding and accepting of many other cultures," he stated. 

When Michael Jackson died, Prince Jackson, who was 12 years old at the time, and his siblings, Paris Jackson and Bigi Jackson, were thrust into the spotlight. Just months after Michael's death, Prince and Paris accepted a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys on their father's behalf. (Bigi watched from backstage.) The siblings took turns at the microphone to thank the Recording Academy and pay tribute to their dad's legacy. "Through all his songs, his message was simple — love," Prince said. "We will continue to spread his message and help the world."

Before Michael died, his children regularly wore masks when out and about. However, their grandmother encouraged the kids to ditch the face coverings after their father's passing. Prince, Paris, and Bigi Jackson suddenly had to get used to a new level of being in the public eye.

When asked about his life after his father's death on the "Find Your Grind" podcast, Prince opened up about becoming a more public figure. "Obviously there was an adjustment period to where I kind of — I don't want to say I had to take the reins, but I was in control of my own identity at that point," he said. "And I definitely became more aware that people were following me, paparazzi are stalking me, and all types of stuff like this. So, I wouldn't say it was difficult, but there was an adjustment period."

After his father died, Prince Jackson went from being homeschooled to attending a public high school. Around that time, he began to explore different interests and passions. Now, it would be reasonable to assume one of those interests would involve making music — after all, he's part of a legendary musical family — but he set his sights on different parts of the entertainment industry.

In 2013, Entertainment Tonight announced that Prince would be joining their team as a guest on-air correspondent. Thanks to his aunt La Toya Jackson, his first gig as a reporter was made official the weekend before the Disney film "Oz the Great and Powerful" was released. As a result, Prince got to interview director Sam Raimi, former "General Hospital" actor James Franco, and "Scrubs" star Zach Braff. 

After he landed the role ET, it was clear Prince's showbiz career was only getting warmed up. "I'm looking to become well-rounded as a producer, director, screenwriter, and actor," he told ET's Brooke Anderson (via CNN). Though his stint with the pop culture news outlet only lasted a week, he certainly wasn't done with being in front of the camera. 

2013 was a busy year for Michael Jackson's eldest child. In addition to securing a limited run as an on-air correspondent for Entertainment Tonight, Prince Jackson made his acting debut. The pop legend's son appeared in the series finale of the CW reboot of "90210." In the episode, which is titled "We All Fall Down," Prince played Cooper, a teen who suffered an injury at a concert. 

The episode's director, Harry Sinclair, sang Prince's praises in an interview with ET. "He's very young but he was able to be totally relaxed and do his performance. It was very unusual and he seemed totally at ease," Sinclair said (via the Daily Mail). Even so, Prince wasn't exactly clamoring to watch his scene. "I'm probably my own worst critic. I don't watch myself," he told ET.

Evidently, after Prince made his acting debut, he did not go all in on an acting career. Rather, he pivoted to working behind the camera. As of 2024, "90210" is his only acting credit.

After his short stint in acting, Prince Jackson began to explore the world of content creation. In 2015, Michael Jackson's son created his own YouTube channel. The first video features clips taken while he and his family rode around on ATVs at Jawbone Canyon. The footage was all shot with a Go-Pro. He'd upload another video shortly after under the same format, only this time with go-karts. 

By 2017, Prince began uploading content centered around his love for motorcycles. In a video titled "First Video," Prince expressed that his love for motorcycles started at a very young age. "I've always wanted a bike ever since I was little," he said in the video. "I think it's just bada**. I don't know what to tell you." 

That same year, Prince was in a motorcycle accident. After colliding with a truck while on his way to school, he was rushed to the hospital. Fortunately, he didn't sustain any serious injuries. What's more, his love for riding didn't fade after the incident: He continued to upload motorcycle videos from 2018 to 2023. His channel would be home to videos featuring rides throughout California, reviews of his latest purchases, or updates us on what's going on in his life. 

By 2017, Prince Jackson was all grown up. After graduating from high school in 2015, he headed to Loyola Marymount University. There he met and began dating his girlfriend, Molly Schirmang. While Michael Jackson's son has made an effort to keep this piece of his life relatively private, he has offered some sweet details over the years. At a charity event in 2018, Prince spoke to People about his relationship and why it's so special. "I think in everything there's an important balance," he said. "I think that I'm a certain way, and she's very — I don't want to say opposite — but complementary in a way that we balance each other out. I'm more aggressive, she's a little softer." 

This balance appeared to work well for the two, as they appear to still be going strong. In 2022, Prince took to Instagram to celebrate their fifth anniversary. Alongside a string of photos, Prince wrote a heartfelt caption declaring his love for his college beau. "5 years together. Lots of trips, miles, smiles, meals, desserts, and all kinds of adventures in between. Love you babs." 

It's no secret Michael Jackson's net worth was nothing short of staggering when he died. His kids all inherited a significant portion of the fortune, and some of it reportedly went toward Prince Jackson's college education. After graduating high school, Prince enrolled in Loyola Marymount University, a private university in Los Angeles. There, he pursued a degree in business administration. 

By 2019, the pop star's son took to Instagram to announce that he was officially a college graduate. Not only did he earn his bachelor's degree, but he also graduated with cum laude honors. Paired alongside a picture with his grandmother Katherine Jackson, his cousin T.J. Jackson, and his younger brother Bigi Jackson, Prince wrote a lengthy caption logging his journey as a college student and crediting those close to him as huge inspirations for allowing him to earn his degree. "Honestly I can't tell you if all of it was worth it yet but I am proud of my degree as I believe it is a testament to my dedication and discipline," he said. "I'm thankful for LMU's education of a whole person and the implementation of Jesuit values because I believe they inspire graduates like me to continue to change the world for the better."

It's no stretch to say that Prince Jackson has a passion for film — and yes, he's offered peeks into said passion. In 2018, he uploaded a video of himself ranting about the Star Wars franchise. This would set the stage for his next YouTube chapter. 

On May 15, 2019, Prince announced on Instagram that he was planning on making a movie review channel with his cousin Taj Jackson, and his younger brother, Bigi Jackson. "We are very excited to announce that we are starting a movie review channel," he wrote. "Right now, you can go see our first-ever video on my YouTube channel (link in bio). We know that this is a very rough first video, but we want to take you on the journey with us as we improve and develop the show." Their first episode consisted of them diving into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and digging into their opinions about the 2019 film "Avengers: Endgame." From there, the three would go on to upload more videos on their YouTube channel, "Film Family," where they continued to review other films such as "Marriage Story" and "The Irishman." Unfortunately, it appeared the three have discontinued their channel: The most recent video was uploaded on March 9, 2020.

On a 2017 episode of "This Morning," Prince Jackson admitted that he doesn't see himself ever following in his father's pop superstar footsteps. "I can't sing, I can't dance, I can't do any of that," he said. "I've tried and it's embarrassing." However, he wasn't deterred from getting into the music world entirely. In 2016, he created King's Son Productions, a collective that produces music videos. 

After launching King's Son Productions, Prince sat down with Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" to chat about his latest endeavors. When asked about the name of his production company, Prince broke down the inspiration. "So, I was born as Prince and that was the name my dad had given to me, but my dad earned the epithet, 'King of Pop,' and that's through hard work and years of training, and everything that he worked so hard to get," he said. "So, it's a form of motivation because my name is Prince but for all intents and purposes I am the King's son, and working to get my own epithet." 

Prince stayed true to his word and continued to work hard for that title. His resume includes producing videos for artists like Omer Bhatti, Nano, and Sco. In 2020, Prince even collaborated with his younger sister, Paris Jackson, for her song with Gabriel Glenn, "Your Look (Glorious)."

As if he didn't have enough on his plate with his schooling and various creative projects, Prince Jackson started a nonprofit when he was still a teenager. After his father's death, Prince has stated that he'd keep his legacy alive through charity work. Michael Jackson taught him at a young age that it was important to help others, so it was a no-brainer that he'd eventually start his own foundation dedicated to those in need.

In 2016, Prince and John Muto founded Heal Los Angeles, an extension of his father's foundation, Heal the World. In his aforementioned "Good Morning America" interview, Prince stated that he took on this venture at Loyola Marymount University. "Heal LA is a student organization that John Mudo and I had started earlier in my freshman year," he said. "It is inspired from Heal the World. We primarily focus on child abuse, homelessness, and hunger in the Los Angeles area." 

In addition to providing assistance to local children, the foundation is also home to an annual fundraiser titled Thriller Night, a Halloween party hosted at a Jackson family property. In 2022, the event doubled as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of his dad's biggest album. "I wasn't born when 'Thriller' came out, I remember the 25th anniversary, so for me to be here on this platform, able to celebrate my father and his achievements, there's nothing like it," Prince told People. "There's really nothing like it."

In the wake of Michael Jackson's death, it was only a matter of time before he received the biopic treatment. In 2022, it was announced that Graham King would make a film based on Michael Jackson's life. According to Prince Jackson, he partnered with the Oscar-winning producer to bring his father's story to the big screen.

During his 2023 appearance on "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson," Prince stated that King reached out to his family's estate for permission to make the movie. In turn, Prince agreed to participate in its production. "After I read the first draft of the script, I called him because I was crying afterward, and I told him that he had the most authentic picture of my father," he said. 

Following the announcement of the movie's production, it was revealed that Prince's cousin Jaafar Jackson has been picked to play Michael in the film. In February, Prince took to Instagram to show us our first glimpse of the movie, "Michael." Alongside a photo of Jaafar as Michael, Prince wrote, "Watching you perform and work your butt off is the closest I'll ever come to watching my dad in concert and it's been a dream come true! Proud of you cuz!"