People News

Michael Jackson's parental row

Jun 13, 2010, 12:00 GMT

Michael Jackson's father blames his wife for their son's death.

Joe Jackson has admitted he accused Katherine Jackson of not doing enough to stop the late 'Thriller' star - who died of acute Propofol intoxication - abusing prescription drugs, just hours after he passed away last June.

Speaking of their confrontation in the mortuary, Joe admitted: "Katherine was weeping uncontrollably and highly upset. But I didn't give her a hug because I was mad at her crying.

"I said, 'If you had listened to me Michael would be living now.' I kept thinking about the times I had stood in front of her saying something was wrong.

"I couldn't bottle up my feelings. Katherine didn't say a word - I had to get away from her. If she'd done what I asked, Michael would be here today. I am incensed with her. She could have made a difference."

Joe - who was accused by Michael of beating him during childhood - claims he asked Katherine several times to intervene in the King of Pop's problems because he knew the star wouldn't listen to him.

He added to the News of the World newspaper: "In Michael's final months alive I said to her many times that I couldn't get through to him - and that she needed to help her son.

"I had begged her to go over and stay with him, but she insisted he needed his privacy and gave him the slack she thought he needed. A child will listen to his mother more than his father - and Michael was a mummy's boy."

Despite his accusation, Joe, 80, also holds himself responsible for Michael's death because he was unable to get the singer's planned 50-date London residency reduced.

He explained: "I wish I had made him walk away from those shows. I knew he would never make them, but I never thought he'd die.

"I tried to help Michael, but I feel I could have been more aggressive in getting access to him."