Michael Jackson loved but feared his harsh father.
According to Dailymail, in an interview in 1993, Michael Jackson admitted that his whole life he lived in fear of his harsh father Joe Jackson.

Joe Jackson’s success as a top American entertainment manager is undeniable, having trained international superstars such as Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and The Jackson 5.

However, he was a controversial father, with most of his famous children confessing to being mentally and physically abused by their father, the head of the family.

In a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, “King of Pop” Michael Jackson said that he lived his whole life in fear of his harsh father.

Notably, the conversation between Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey took place during a live television event, watched by 90 million people – a huge number that still holds the record for viewership to this day.

Michael Jackson and the haunting memory of his father's abuse photo 1
Michael Jackson spoke about his father in a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
During the interview, the moonwalker appeared very reserved and scared when talking about his haunting past, a stark contrast to his confident demeanor when performing on stage.

Michael shared that he loved his father, but did not know if he felt the same way about him. He said that during the time before becoming a member of The Jackson 5, “manager” Joe always criticized Michael for being ugly.

Asked if he was angry with his father, Michael seemed hesitant, stalling for time by repeating Oprah’s question before saying: “Sometimes I get angry. I don’t know him the way I want to know him. My mother is wonderful. To me, she’s perfect. I just wish I knew my father.”

Later, the male singer revealed that he was extremely unhappy at the time he reached the peak of his fame. Because what he achieved had to be paid for with a painful childhood and adolescence, and the unhappiness came from his own father.

He admitted that he was beaten by his father when he was a child. “… Some people might call him a strict disciplinarian. But he was very harsh, very unpleasant, very cold. Just one look would scare you,” the music legend said.

Describing his fear of his biological father, Michael said: “One time he came to see me, I felt sick, I started vomiting.”

Michael Jackson and the haunting memory of his father's abuse photo 2Joe Jackson was behind his son’s resounding success, but left a huge psychological trauma on Michael Jackson because of his harsh upbringing.
He added that he had always been afraid of that man, and quickly apologized in panic: “He never heard me say this. I’m sorry, please don’t be angry with me.” On live TV, he also swore that he still loved his father very much, and asked him to forgive him for what he said.

Finally, the “king of pop” shared that the reason he built Neverland, so he could live in a place surrounded by children, toys and games, was because he never had a childhood.

Joe Jackson died at the age of 89 on Wednesday (June 27), two days after the ninth anniversary of the death of his son Michael Jackson. The Daily Mail revealed that he had been hospitalized last week with terminal pancreatic cancer.