Michael Jackson's youngest son Blanket Jackson has reportedly gone "mute" following the release of Leaving Neverland, the explosive documentary shedding new light on damning child molestation allegations against the King of Pop.
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The baby that Jackson once infamously dangled over a Berlin balcony in in 2002 is now a teen and reportedly struggling to cope with the controversy around his father.
According to The Sun, Blanket's relatives and family friends have voiced their concern for the 17-year-old. His real name is Prince Michael Jackson II, but he reportedly prefers to be called Biji, and has rarely been spotted in public.
"Biji is the most talkative kid at school and he isn't talking anymore," one of Jackson's nephews Taj said in an interview with Victoria Derbyshire's TV show.
"We're all worried about him."
The 'Thriller' singer's former best friend Mark Lester, who is also Blanket's godfather, has also spoken out about his concerns for the way Michael's youngest child is being cared for by his estate.
"They try and shield him from the outside world, which may be not such a good thing. Shield them from certain things, certainly, but to keep him isolated is not right."
"The Jackson estate don't want him to make money for anyone else. He's an heir to a billion-dollar trust."
Lester added that Blanket barely spoke when he was a youngster, but now fears things have deteriorated further.
"He kept himself to himself. He would just immerse himself in his own little world," he said.
Blanket is cared for by his 88-year-old grandmother Katherine and co-guardian TJ Jackson, another of Michael's nephews.
Newshub.
