Jackson Family Dispute: Randy Jackson Says Mother Is Heading Back to Los Angeles
Randy Jackson said mother's "health was really bad."
July 25, 2012 -- Katherine Jackson, apparently struggling with bad health, is headed back to Los Angeles from Arizona after she was reported missing last week, her son Randy told "Good Morning America" this morning, also denying reports of a physical altercation among family members.
"My mom is on her way back to Los Angeles," Jackson said. "It was under doctor's orders that she go [away from L.A.]. Her health was really bad, and he wanted her to go somewhere where she couldn't be on the phone, and be cut off from the outside world for a few days."
Katherine Jackson, the 82-year-old legal guardian of her late son Michael Jackson's three children -- Prince, Paris and Blanket -- was reported missing Saturday after her grandchildren hadn't heard from her in days. She was found "resting" with her daughter in Arizona. X17Online obtained a photo of Jackson smiling and playing Uno with family in Arizona.
Speaking by telephone, Randy Jackson this morning also raised questions about Michael Jackson's second will, and whether the executors of Michael Jackson's estate, John Blanca and John McLain, are telling the truth about when and where the pop star signed it.
Some of the Jackson siblings have called the will "fake" and want Blanca and McLain to step down.
"The question is on July 7, 2002, they swore under penalty of perjury that the will was signed by Michael Jackson in Los Angeles," he said on "Good Morning America." But there is footage that shows on July 7 that my brother was in Harlem with Al Sharpton.
"He was there the day before and the day after. I want some answers. How come John Blanca and John McLain have not answered that question?" Randy Jackson asked. "Anything other than that is the estate using my mother, my nephews and nieces as pawns to protect their own financial greed and gain."
He also denied reports of physical altercations among family members, which include an unsubstantiated TMZ story that Janet Jackson slapped her niece, Paris Jackson, in the face Monday while trying to take away her cellphone.
"We started to film on our cellphones ... this has been sensationalized out of control," Randy Jackson said this morning. "There was no slapping, no calling of names. This is all meant to take attention from the question that has not been answered [about Michael Jackson's will]."
As for the Monday incident, Sandra Ribera, Katherine Jackson's attorney, said Randy, Jermaine and Janet Jackson showed up Monday, broke through a security gate and apparently tried to take Michael Jackson's kids away. No arrests were made after police arrived, but Ribera said the scene was "chaos."
Ribera, who on the scene Monday, believes the issue was about Paris Jackson's tweeting. Paris had been updating her Twitter account in the past few days, asking for help finding her missing grandmother. Ribera said the children did not know where their grandmother was.
Paris Jackson, 14, tweeted Tuesday, "9 days and counting ... so help me god i will make whoever did this pay."
Ribera said Tuesday that while the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department considered the case closed, she and Michael's children were "exhausting other options" to find Katherine Jackson, including seeking help from the FBI and local law enforcement in Arizona. She said Jackson is being preventing from contacting her grandchildren "by the people that she is staying with," but she declined to name anyone specifically.
There are a few different sides to the story, and Randy Jackson also gave his to the Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC Tuesday. "We did go to the home, to let Paris and Prince know that they can visit with or talk to their grandma at any time," Jackson said.
Brother Marlon Jackson broke down into tears when he told "The Insider" he doesn't know where his mother was.
"We don't know where she is," attorney Ribera told "Nightline" Tuesday. "We know that she is in Arizona, allegedly, but we don't know where because law enforcement won't give us the address, because it is an ongoing investigation."
Moves were being made to secure the kids' access to their grandmother and appoint a temporary guardian -- most likely one of brother Tito Jackson's children -- while she was still out of the picture.
"All I can say is that efforts are being made as a result of what happened on Monday to make sure that the children are safe and well protected," Ribera said. "These kids love her. ...They want her home."
The drama has been building to a crescendo in recent weeks and it's not just about the children. Michael Jackson's estate is also being disputed by his siblings, who want the executors of his will to step down. The late King of Pop left his entire estate to his mother and three children.
In response to a letter from Michael Jackson's siblings, the Jackson estate put out a statement saying, "We are saddened that false and defamatory accusations grounded in stale Internet conspiracy theories are now being made by certain members of Michael's family whom he chose to leave out of his will. We are especially disheartened that they come at a time when remarkable progress has been made to secure the financial future of his children by turning around the estate's finances as well as during a time when so many of Michael's fans, old and new, are enjoying his artistry through exciting new projects."