A singer once praised as the ‘reincarnation of Michael Jackson’ has claimed he is the dead star’s son.
Brandon Howard, whose mother is pop singer Miki Howard, is said to have ‘groundbreaking’ DNA evidence proving he is the King of Pop’s offspring, TMZ reported.
Ms Howard is said to have met Jacko in 1982, shortly before Mr Howard was born in 1983.
Claims: Singer Brandon Howard (left) claims he has ‘groundbreaking’ DNA evidence which proves he is the son of King of Pop Michael Jackson (right)
Testing: Mr Howard, 31, having his DNA taken, as he aims to prove he is the eldest child of Billie Jean star, Michael Jackson. His friend, actor Corey Feldman stands close by
Howard Weitzman, Jackson’s estate lawyer, told TMZ: ‘We’ve never even heard from him,” when asked about Howard’s claim.
He added that ‘any deadline for claiming to be Michael’s child has long since passed’.
The results of the DNA test are due to be revealed today live on FilmOn.com at 12pm Pacific time, 8pm (GMT)
The artist known as B Howard released a statement today through his manager Scott Broomfield of Musical Star LLC.
He said: ‘To my fans, family, and friends, despite recent allegations, I did not authorize the testing of my DNA to be compared to that of the late Michael Jackson nor did I contact TMZ regarding the publication of the story.
‘This spring, I agreed to be a part of a documentary with FilmOn.TV and was asked to give a sample of my DNA.
‘Even though I agreed to this I never expected it to be used in this manner
Comparison: Brandon Howard, who is known as B Howard, has long been compared to the late superstar
Affair: Brandon Howard is said to be the product of an affair Michael Jackson had with the singer’s mother Miki Howard. The pair are said to have met in 1982, shortly before he was born in 1983. But today, his father Augie Johnson dismissed the claims
Family: Brandon Howard (centre) is pictured with his mother, singer Miki Howard (right) and Chaka Khan
‘To this day, I have never claimed to be Michael Jackson’s son nor do I have any intention of pursuing the family’s estate.’
The estate has been estimated as holding $17million in cash and earning $600million in revenue.
Mr Howard has long been compared to the Billie Jean singer, but has said in the past the similarity is not intentional.
‘I have no intention of pursuing the family’s (Jackson’s) estate’
– Brandon Howard
‘I just do what’s naturally in my heart, and that’s what comes out,’ he told EUR’s Lee Bailey exclusively. ‘I’m doing me.’
‘Who hasn’t been inspired by Michael and the Jackson brothers?’ he added.
‘Most of the people out now, even my good friend Ne-Yo, he’s come out with the sequined jacket and everything. For me, it’s more of I’m doing me. …I’m just me. I’m Brandon.’
His musical legacy spans to his mother the pop star Miki Howard and his grandmother, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Josephine Howard.
B Howard’s career has been gaining momentum, and he worked on songs with many multi-platinum selling artists including pop superstar Akon —an artist who was very close to Michael and released the star’ last ever song, Hold My Hand.
At the time of Michael’s death, he was named in more than six lawsuits, and 65 creditors’ claims were filed after he died.
Eldest: If the results prove positive it would make Brandon Howard the eldest of Michael Jackson’s children. However, singer Augie Johnson says he’s his biological dad
Siblings: Jacko’s children, Prince Michael Jackson II (left), Paris (centre) and Prince (right)
Claims: Shortly after Michael Jackson’s death in June 2009, his father claimed Omer Bhatti, who sat with the family in the front row at Jacko’s funeral, was his fourth child. But the Norwegian dancer, pictured (left) with MJ in Tunis when he was 12, denied the claims
Howard’s CV reveals a long list of stars the singer, songwriter and producer has collaborated with.
They include Ne-yo, Chris Brown, Missy Elliot, Lupe Fiasco and Vanessa Hudgens.
Last year he teamed up with Wyclef Jean and Jazmine Sullivan for the World Cup son Ke Nako.
Howard has three different record deals across the world, including a production pact with Universal Music, linked to his own company 6 Point Entertainment.‘I knew Michael had another son, yes I did’
– Joe Jackson, Michael’s father speaking in 2009
The Jackson family have faced previous claims by people who believed they were the offspring of the star, who died in June 2009.
In 2009, Joe Jackson, Michael’s father, said he believed Norwegian dancer Omer Bhatti was Jacko’s fourth child.
Joe said at the time: ‘I knew Michael had another son, yes I did.
‘He looks like a Jackson, he acts like a Jackson and he can dance like a Jackson.’
But the rapper, who claimed to be Michael Jackson’s best friend, denied he was the King of Pop’s love child, despite being given a front row seat at his funeral.
