Michael Jackson estate expresses concern for singer's kids

From left, Blanket Jackson, Prince Jackson, Paris Jackson and Katherine Jackson appear at the Michael Jackson Hand and Footprint ceremony on Jan. 26, 2012, in Los Angeles. / Getty

(AP) The executors of Michael Jackson's estate said Tuesday they were concerned about the welfare of the singer's mother and his three children amid a nasty family feud over money that has prompted three law enforcement investigations.

Executors John Branca and John McClain wrote in a letter posted online to fans of the pop superstar that they were doing everything they can to protect his children.

Pictures: Michael Jackson's children
Read more: Police called to Katherine Jackson's home after fight
Read more: Katherine Jackson is safe, with family: Sheriff

"We are concerned that we do what we can to protect them from undue influences, bullying, greed, and other unfortunate circumstances," states the letter posted just hours after deputies responded for a family disturbance at the hilltop home where Katherine Jackson and her three grandchildren live.

No arrests were made, but officials say there is an active battery investigation.

Jackson died in June 2009 at age 50 and left his estate to care for his mother and three children. He left nothing to his father or siblings, who have repeatedly tried to intervene in the estate. Several have expressed doubts about the validity of his will.

Sandra Ribera, an attorney for Katherine Jackson, said authorities were called after the singer's children were accosted by relatives who followed them into their gated community in Calabasas.

"After exiting their vehicles, Jackson family members ran up to Michael's children as they yelled and began to aggressively grab at the cellphones in their hands," Ribera wrote in a statement.

She and sheriff's officials have not identified who was involved in the incident, but video footage appears to show Michael Jackson's siblings Janet, Randy and Jermaine in the driveway of the home.

The video was obtained by "Good Morning America" and celebrity website TMZ.

Ribera claims "a plan has been in place for the last three years to remove Katherine Jackson from her home and her beloved grandchildren."

Katherine Jackson was reported missing over the weekend but later found to be with her daughter Rebbie and other relatives in Arizona. She has not spoken to her grandchildren - Prince, Paris and Blanket - since leaving the Los Angeles area on July 15.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said the missing person's investigation into her whereabouts has been closed, as was an inquiry about possible elder abuse of the 82-year-old Jackson family matriarch.

He said deputies interviewed Katherine Jackson after a family business associate warned authorities that she was possibly being emotionally abused by a family member. Whitmore said the elder Jackson emphatically denied the accusations.

He said an abundance of caution has investigators still looking into claims that Katherine Jackson is the subject of financial abuse.

The estate and Katherine Jackson's guardianship of the children are supervised by a probate judge. The judge recently received a financial summary showing that Michael Jackson's estate has earned $475 million in gross profits since his death, and many of his major debts have either been resolved or are no longer delinquent.

The singer died with more than $500 million in debts.

Janet, Jermaine and Randy Jackson were joined by siblings Tito and Rebbie in a letter leaked last week calling on Branca and McClain to resign and accusing them of manipulating their mother. The letter also claims that Jackson's will is invalid.

The estate has denied the accusations and no challenge to the executors has been filed in court.

The estate said it plans to closely monitor the well-being of Katherine Jackson and her grandchildren.

"While we do not have standing to directly intervene, we have monitored the situation and will continue to do so," wrote Branca, a lawyer, and McClain, a music executive. "We believe measures are being put in place that will help protect them from what they are having to deal with."

[rtmf11]

thank you for recognizing that these children are in danger from their greedy relatives. someone needs to make sure that these children are never put in a position again when disenfranchised relatives would try to force them to go someplace they don't want to go, or even do anything against their will. MJ has already cut these siblings off from his life and made a new family for himself. whether these children are biologically his or not, doesn't matter. these children and his mom were his sole family. before he died, janet et al never had access to paris and her brothers. they were out of MJ's life; janet et al should stay out of his children's life, as well.

[HARTFORD41]

ITS TIME FOR DIANA ROSS TO GET INVOLVED

[FiatHeart]

Do those kids look 50% African-American to you? There is a lot of speculation about whether Jackson was their biological father, which if proven one way or the other will have an enormous impact on their finances in the future. With the Jackson clan involving themselves in this unseemly money-grabbing contest, this issue is bound to come to the surface. Watch this space.

[Dashall]

I don't think it matters at this point if the kids are biologically MJs. His name is on the birth certificate as the father and he identified them as the beneficiaries of his trust. It is basically ironclad. If I remember correctly, MJs will said that everything went to the trust and the trust lists his mom and three kids as the beneficiaries. The rest of the clan can try to get the money but they really shouldn't quit their day jobs if they have one.

While I don't have any real wealth like Jackson did, my will says that if you are not named as a beneficiary you are specifically exempted. This was so that my father could not try to gain control of my kids and any insurance money/SS they might have been eligible for.

[karamelkitti]

I'm just curious...what exactly do 50% African-American kids look like? I'm just saying. Even though I agree with you that those kids are probably not MJ's biologically, we probably wouldn't know just by looking at them. Some people, like Wentworth Miller and Rashida Jones(both actors) look 100% White even though they are half Black. I agree with Dashall, it doesn't matter who parented them. If he claimed parentage or adopted them and entrusted his estate to them, the rest of the family will never get that money. They're in a race now to try to get as much as they can before those kids turn 21. Once they do, it's pretty much a done deal.

[SUZAMBA]

Even in death, Michael's brothers and sisters want him to support them.
Can't they earn a living on their own? Enough is enough, the only concern should be for his children and only them!

[zetetic25]

wow, don't they have careers of their own?
is this a new reality series in the making?

[yarnplay]

So the Jackson clan figured out that if they wait too long the kids will come of age and they won't be able to touch the cash? The aunts and uncles smashing the gate to grab the cell phones so the kids can't communicate with the rest of the world? Remove the one parental figure they have so they can coerce cooperation? These are the people that want to care for the kids? No wonder Michael Jackson cut them out of the will and his life.

[sweetcakesmaria]

Robbery in the State of Calif. is defined as the taking of personal property by means of force or fear. According to the article, family members of Michael's kids tried to agressively grab their cell phones from their hands. Maybe the Sheriff Dept. should be conducting an attempt robbery investigation.

[erasmus111]

As far as I'm concerned, all the brothers are taking advantage of Michael's death, to remain in the spotlight. Or should I say "get back into the spotlight". The brother that concerns me the most is Jermaine. He's going to keep the business of Michael's death alive for years to come.