Michael Jackson’s nephew was granted co-guardianship over the late pop icon’s children by a Los Angeles Judge on Aug. 22.
According to the Associated Press, L.A. Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff named Tito Jackson’s son, T.J. Jackson, as guardian of Jackson’s three children, Prince Jackson, Prince Michael II “Blanket” Jackson and Paris Jackson.
The 34-year-old T.J. Jackson was granted temporary custody on July 25 after concerns arose about the health and well-being of the Jackson family matriarch, 82-year-old Katherine Jackson, following a trip to Arizona.
“I’ve never heard my grandmother talk like that,” T.J. Jackson reported said at a court appearance after speaking with Katherine Jackson over the phone. “She wasn’t sharp. The pauses, choice of vocabulary… she has not used certain phrases like that before.”
According to TMZ, sources said that the Jackson family believed Katherine Jackson had been drugged and she wanted the security team placed in charge of the three children replaced with Janet Jackson’s security team.
On that day, Beckloff approved T.J. Jackson’s petition as he reportedly said that Katherine Jackson may be “prevented from acting as a guardian because of the acts of third parties.”
Earlier this month, Katherine Jackson was reinstated as the guardian of the kids, but T.J. Jackson submitted an application to become co-guardian, leading to the Aug. 22 hearing.
According to reports, Katherine Jackson was not expected to contest co-guardianship with her grandson.
T.J. Jackson, along with his brothers Taj and Taryll, have performed as the R&B group 3T since 1995. They are the sons of Tito Jackson, the oldest of the Jackson brothers, and his late ex-wife, Delores “Dee Dee” Martes.