Seventeen years after Michael Jackson’s death, his eldest son Prince Jackson stood surrounded by his father’s fans and helped celebrate the birthday Michael never got to see. On August 29, 2026, what would have been Michael’s 68th birthday, 29-year-old Prince made a rare public appearance at Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Video from the celebration showed Prince standing among fans before raising his hand and joining the crowd in shouting: “Happy birthday, Michael!”
He also spent time talking with fans, posing for photographs and signing autographs.
Prince Jackson Celebrates Michael Jackson’s Birthday With Fans
The moment carried extra weight because Prince was only 12 years old when Michael died on June 25, 2009.
Prince has spoken openly about how he continues dealing with that loss. In a 2022 interview, he explained why celebrating someone’s life still matters to him, saying, “As long as you celebrate them, they’re never gone.”
That idea has shaped much of Prince’s public connection to his father. Earlier in April 2026, he served as an executive producer on the Michael Jackson biopic Michael. At its Los Angeles premiere, Prince wore a black suit designed by Michael Bush, one of his father’s longtime costume designers. But one tiny detail meant much more. Around Prince’s arm was a piece of red corduroy fabric taken from the type of shirt Michael used to wear. Prince explained that when he hugged his father as a child, that was often what Michael was wearing.
Prince also admitted that seeing his cousin Jaafar Jackson transformed into Michael for the film hit him unexpectedly hard. He described it as an “emotional shock” and said his immediate instinct was simply to hug him because, for a moment, the resemblance brought his father back to him.
That makes the Las Vegas birthday scene feel less like another celebrity appearance and more like a son continuing a tradition of remembrance.
Michael Jackson has been gone for 17 years, but on his 68th birthday, Prince stood among the fans still celebrating him and showed exactly what he meant when he said that as long as someone is celebrated, they are never truly gone.