Through hard-nosed determination and ruthless drive,Joe Jacksonmolded, trained and cajoled his brood into one of the greatest show business dynasties in history. This much is undeniable, but from here the story of the Jackson patriarch,who died Wednesday of pancreatic cancer at the age of 89, begins to get fuzzy. His all-in-one role as coach, tutor, drill sergeant and manager undoubtedly left little time for softness. He famously made his children refer to him as “Joseph” or “Joe” rather than dad, and his penchant for corporal punishmentcast him in popular consciousness as either a strict disciplinarian or a child abuser.
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Joe himself remained unapologetic, and even defiant about getting physical with his kids, tellingOprah Winfreyin 2010 that he didn’t regret using a strap as a method for hitting. “I’m glad I was tough, because look what I came out with,” Jackson told Piers Morgan three years later. “I came out with some kids that everybody loved all over the world. And they treated everybody right.”
Michael frequently described getting physically sick with nerves when Joe would come over, and cited his father’s teasing over his acne and his face (“God, your nose is big — you didn’t get it fromme,” he recalled him saying in the2003 documentaryLiving with Michael Jackson) as instilling a deep sense of physical insecurity. Yet, ashe told Oprah Winfrey in 1993, “I do love him.”
But their complicated relationship continued to play out even after Michael’s death.When his will, signed in July 2002, became public seven years later, it was discovered that Joe was effectively written out of his fortune. His father was not among the names in the “Petition for Probate” list, which outlines all of the beneficiaries and fiduciaries named in the will and in the Michael Jackson Family Trust. These included trusts for his children —Paris,Prince Michael, andPrince Michael Joseph Jackson II(known at the time as “Blanket”), and his mother,Katherine, who was named as guardian of his kids. Yet Joe does not appear listed. In fact, rather than name him as a backup guardian for his children, Michael instead lists fellow Motown legendDiana Ross.
There were some in the Jackson family who claimed that the 2002 will was somehow fraudulent, supposedly due to the fact that Michael was apparently in New York City the day the will was signed and dated,but according to Forbes, even if the documents were somehow falsified (which they aren’t), the court would revert to the three previous drafts of the will — none of which list Joe. His attempt to challenge the will in the wake of Michael’s death ended in failure. “Joe Jackson takes none of this estate,” Judge Mitchell Beckloffdeclaredin 2009. “This is a decision his son made.”
source: people.com
