There are some celebrities who make it big-time and others who leave behind a legacy. Michael Jackson is dubbed the “King of Pop” by music colleagues in the entertainment industry, left behind a legacy that is unmatched by any artist today. The singer was famous for tracks like Billie Jean, Pretty Little Thing, and Thriller. Jackson’s dance moves have even become iconic, such as his famous moonwalk and lean from the Smooth Criminal music video. Since his unfortunate passing on June 25, 2009, fans and musicians have honored his memory.

Jackson’s family and children, especially his eldest daughter Paris Jackson, have even kept the memory of her father alive. Sources note that the 22-year-old still misses her famous father. The model and actress has even reminisced on her father’s stellar cooking skills.

Michael Jackson Loving Cooking His Two Favorite Foods

Michael Jackson didn’t seem like the type of person to cook, given his busy schedule with meeting tour dates, songwriting, and making music videos. Though, the father of three made sure he fed his children.

Paris Jackson revealed some new information about the King of Pop in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine years later after his death, noting that one of his all-time favorite dishes to cook was fried chicken. Jackson has since described her father as a “Kick a** cook” when it came to whipping up good hearty food. It seems unlikely that the Billie Jean star would prepare fried chicken but Jackson’s love for the fried cuisine can further be confirmed after watching a YouTube video of Magic Johnson speaking at his memorial service. The basketball star revealed the time he discovered his idol’s love for the fried food after watching him eat a whole bucket of KFC chicken. Not only did Michael Jackson have an affinity for fried chicken but he also loved to cook sweet potato pie.

Paris Jackson further revealed to Rolling Stone magazine that her father taught her how to cook Sweet Potato pie. The 22-year-old wasn’t the only fan of her father’s sweet potato pie recipe though. The popstar’s recipe was later published in Frank DeCaro’s cooking anthology of The Dead Celebrity Cookbook. A genius songwriter, dancer, musician, and now master cook—Michael Jackson was certainly the multi-talented star.

Paris Jackson Says That Father Always Rewarded Kids With Sweets

Clearly, Michael Jackson has hidden talents that fans never knew about. The popstar was a superb chef in the kitchen, which Paris Jackson has no problem boasting about to publications. Though, the King of Pop had mad skills at preparing other cuisines for his children, including breakfast meals. On November 8, 2010, just a year after his death, Jackson’s children, Prince, Blanket, and Paris did a tell-all exclusive with Oprah Winfrey on her show at the time. It had been the first interview the children had done since Jackson’s passing. Paris was quick to defend her father, noting that he was just “a normal dad” who was notorious for making the best French Toast in the world” in his household. It’s not uncharacteristic that Jackson was good at preparing French toast since the Thriller singer was known for having a serious sweet tooth.

Paris revealed that while her father was “strict”, he did often reward his children with sweets like Coca-Cola and Snickers bars. The model and actress described a memory of her, her siblings, and Michael in L.A eating sweets. “One time we were on the roof of the Luxor in Las Vegas, just saw all the city lights. We were eating Snickers, we had some soda.” That food combination sounds like a spell for disaster, but nonetheless, it was Paris’s fondest memory of her father.

What Was Michael Jackson’s Diet?

Michael Jackson clearly had a love for food but news outlets often drew speculation over the popstar’s apparent eating disorders. These rumors continued all the way up until his untimely death in the summer of 2009. Two days before Jackson’s passing, newly released footage of the pop star at concert rehearsals surfaced on the web, where the media described the pop star as having a “gaunt figure.” There’s no concrete evidence that shows Jackson’s poor eating habits contributed to his death, but that hasn’t stopped fans and critics from attributing his thinning appearance at concerts to an eating disorder.

The people closest to Jackson attempted to describe his eating habits as “healthy”, since the pop star often ate Chinese food, vegetables, and turkey burgers. Though, CEO of concert promoter AEG, Randy Phillips gave a different description of Jackson’s eating routine, telling interviewers that he “had to bring someone in to remind him to eat.” That must’ve meant the star wasn’t eating as well as some might’ve thought. One of Jackson’s personal trainers, Lou Ferrigno, even confirmed that the singer didn’t eat regularly, as he “only ate once a day.”

This might seem unusual to most people but according to nutritionists, eating one meal a day is pretty standard for people who are taking various medications. Michael Jackson took several prescriptions; which doctors say may have either “made food taste funny or even gave him the sensation of filling full throughout the day.” It’s likely that Jackson didn’t manage his time well enough to create a healthy eating regimen, but it could’ve had plenty to do with the medications he took as well.

Despite her father’s death and the health complications that led to his passing, Paris Jackson focuses on all the good memories of her father. Michael Jackson’s cooking has stuck with his adopted daughter throughout the years. Even more so, it’s provided fans a new fond memory of the King of Pop.