What Michael Jackson's Kids Might Be Feeling

What Michael Jackson's Kids Might Be Feeling

Though the words of a 12-year-old who's been there

Posted to House Bloggers by Debbie Nigro on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 12:14pm

I keep thinking about Michael Jackson’s family and the pain they must all be in. The sudden loss of a Dad to young kids is especially terrifying. Michael Jackson’s kids are 12, 11, and 7. A girl and two boys raised by their Dad, a single parent.

You can only know what a Dad’s sudden death feels like if you’ve felt it. With permission from my 12-year-old nephew Stephen, I will share something he recently wrote in school for Fathers Day about his Dad's sudden death 4 years ago.

My brother Stephen died suddenly at 40. Stephen Jr. and his twin sister Sydney were 8, and their brother Dean was 7. My sister-in-law Susan has since remarried a lovely divorced father named Gary. I was outside in the driveway that tragic day when the cops pulled up, heartbroken for the three little faces inside pressed up against the window.

Here is what my nephew recounted about that day:

Dear Dad,
People are always thinking of that last word you say to another person
I was
My last word was I love you
Before you passed away
When the cops told Mom
And I was standing at the window
I was thinking to myself
“this happened to me”
I was absolutely terrified
Wishing everything was Ok
But it wasn’t
I slept over our cousins that night
Having a lot of fun
Then in the morning
I had to go to my school with Dean and Sydney
When I got there I went to the friendship room
And there was my Mom
Sitting in the chair with my two principals
Then when we sat down and had a conversation,
Mom said you were dead
That changed my whole life
I felt like crying really hard
But I didn’t
That was the worse day of my life
Seeing everybody in my class saying that they’re
Sorry
I felt like a complete idiot
Because he died
But now God sent down another angel
His name is Gary
He’s my new Dad now
While you are in Heaven
3/7/05
Love your son forever
Stephen