Michael Jackson: Son Prince on father’s “spotty” skin

Did he bleach his skin to stop being perceived as African American? During his lifetime, there were a number of rumors circulating about Michael Jackson (1958-2009) and his increasingly lighter skin. Now son Prince Jackson (26) has spoken out on the topic

“When I was younger, he would always explain it to me and talk about it,” Prince Jackson said of his father’s skin problems. “I think the cause is anyone’s guess, but it’s either vitiligo or a form of lupus that contributes to vitiligo,” said the King of Pop’s eldest child.

Michael Jackson suffered from the skin disease vitiligo

In fact, the autopsy after his death revealed that Michael Jackson suffered from vitiligo. In this pigmentation disorder, also known as white spot disease, white spots form on the skin. The cells no longer produce melatonin.

Many affected people bleach the unaffected areas or apply light make-up to achieve a uniform complexion. According to his son, Michael Jackson also did the same thing. “He was very self-conscious because he looked kind of splotchy,” Prince said. “So he wanted to smooth out his appearance to improve his self-confidence about his appearance.”

Jackson spoke about his illness in 1993

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey (69) in 1993, Michael Jackson spoke about his illness without using the word vitiligo. “I have a skin disease that affects the pigmentation of my skin. That’s something I can’t change,” the superstar said at the time. He admitted that he used make-up to cover up the remaining dark areas of his skin. But he doesn’t want to have used bleach.

He rejected the accusations that he wanted to conform to a white ideal of beauty. “When people make up stories that I don’t want to be who I am, it hurts me,” Jackson said.