The Parents
Michael Jackson's will gave his mother Katherine sole custody of his three children and instructed his estate's administrators to provide for their well-being. Katherine, 80, has been raising the children, helping to administer the estate and writing a book, Never Can Say Goodbye: The Katherine Jackson Archives. Joe Jackson, the patriarch of the family and the driving force in his son's early career, was completely shut out of Michael's estate. The 81-year-old lives in Las Vegas and has been engaged in legal battles, suing Dr. Conrad Murray, who administered sedatives to Michael the night the King of Pop died, and the record company that paid Murray's salary. Joe attended every hearing in Murray's trial for involuntary manslaughter this year in Los Angeles.