TJ Jackson emerges as Katherine's co- guardian To Michael Jacksons Kids

TJ Jackson was
one of Michael Jackson's favorite
nephews. An heir to the family's
musical talent and striking good
looks, he is the son of Tito, one of the original Jackson Five. Largely unknown to the American public until now, he has been anointed as co-guardian of Michael's most prized
treasures — his three children. Suddenly, TJ is the chosen Jackson,
the one designated to work beside
Michael's mother to look after the
welfare of his three cousins Prince,
15, Paris, 14 and Blanket,10, who will inherit the King of Pop's fortune. He's stepping into a sensitive situation just days after a family feud went viral.


But he appears to have only one
interest at heart — the children. "He has been very dedicated to these
kids since Michael Jackson's death
and he was involved with them
before that," TJ's lawyer, Charles A.
Schultz, said at a Thursday court
hearing. Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff,
who appointed TJ to work with
Katherine Jackson, said there is a
strong bond between the 34-year-
old T.J. and the children. "They have a very significant
relationship with TJ Jackson and they
love him very much," said the judge.
"There are things about his past that
the kids can relate to." Schultz agreed, saying outside court:


"He had a loss early in his life of a
close personal relative and they can
identify with that." In 1994, six years after his parents
divorced, TJ's mother, Dolores, died in
a drowning at her home swimming
pool. Her boyfriend was later
convicted of causing her drowning
and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. When Michael Jackson died in 2009,


Dr. Conrad Murray was accused of
causing his death and was convicted
of manslaughter. He is currently
serving a four-year prison term. Now, three years after his death,
Michael's children are at the center of
a familial battle and TJ's role has
become even more important.
Recently, Katherine Jackson was
reported missing and Beckloff replaced her with TJ as the children's
guardian. Now she's back, telling a
story of having been held virtually
incommunicado at a resort in Tucson,
Ariz., unaware that she was the
subject of a missing person's report.

In the court hearing Thursday, with
neither of the parties present, the
judge ruled that TJ and Katherine will
share guardianship on a temporary
basis. The arrangement could be
made permanent later. Beckloff had appointed an
investigator to look into the domestic
situation at the suburban Calabasas
mansion where the young Jacksons
have been living with their 82-year-
old grandmother. The result was a glowing report: "It
appears from the report that
Katherine Jackson has done a
wonderful job and cares about the
children very much," the judge said.
"I think the kids are in terrific hands." No mention was made of the Jackson
siblings who were at the center of a
family dispute last week that broke
into a public shouting match on the
driveway of Katherine's home. What
one lawyer called "the chaos" ended with Jermaine Jackson calling for a
truce. TJ, who is movie star-handsome and
has a band with his brothers called
3T, is named Tito Joseph for his father
and grandfather. Always known as
TJ, he appears to have emerged as a
welcome stable force in the family.

When Paris began tweeting messages
of distress over the temporary
disappearance of her grandmother
and the battles among Michael's
siblings, TJ tweeted to her: "I know
it's completely unfair for them to do this to you and your brothers. We will
keep trying. I love you." Added a
second tweet: "Make your life an act
of love." Thomas Mesereau Jr., the former
attorney for Michael who knows the
family, had high praise for TJ. "I met him some time ago and he was
a very nice young man, very mature
and very sincere," said Mesereau. "It
appeared to me that Katherine
thought very highly of him." But Mesereau said the current
situation was unthinkable before
Michael's death. "Three years ago, these children had
a father who loved them and gave
them a wonderful upbringing," the
attorney said. "He wanted them to be
highly educated, to learn about the
world and the wonders of nature. It's very tragic." TJ's devotion to his uncle, Michael, has
been evident. At his funeral, members
of the family provided loving tributes
in a glossy program. TJ's entry read:
"You taught me how to smile. You
taught me how to dream. You taught me how to live. Uncle Michael, I will
always cherish all of our special
moments and blissful time together. I
love you so much." Michael's ties to TJ and his two
brothers was confirmed by his will,
which named them among
"contingent remainder" beneficiaries,
who usually gain if the main
beneficiaries pass away. Like most of the Jacksons, TJ has lived
among celebrities. The Internet was
ablaze this week with reports that he
was the first lover of Kim Kardashian
when both were in high school.

There
was no comment from TJ but he has acknowledged that they were close
and she consoled him when his
mother died. "We became extra close when my
mom passed away,' TJ told People
magazine in 1995 of Kardashian. "She
dropped everything to be with me." TJ married his wife, Frances, in 2007
and has three children. When he and his brothers, Taj and
Taryll, formed 3T, they were
encouraged by their uncle, Michael,
who sang with them on their first
records, The 3T group had significant
success in Europe with three songs that reached No. 2 on British charts.


Two of them, "Why" and "I Need
You," released in 1996, featured
Michael Jackson's voice. In 2010, the 3T group reprised
Jackson's "We Are the World' with
various famous voices to benefit Haiti
relief efforts. The brothers also have
appeared on reality TV shows with
other members of the Jackson clan and have toured overseas. Last October, the family staged a
tribute concert to Michael in Cardiff,
Wales. But typically, the Jacksons
were divided over whether it was
appropriate to hold such a tribute
during the Murray trial in Los Angeles. Janet, Jermaine and Randy stayed
away. Jackie, Marlon, La Toya and Tito
performed. So did TJ and his brothers.