‘Michael’ Star Jaafar Jackson Reveals the Haunting Last Words His Uncle Michael Jackson Said to Him

Playing a real-life icon carries a particular kind of weight, but playing a family member adds an entirely different layer of responsibility. Jaafar Jackson took on that challenge when he stepped into the role of his uncle, Michael Jackson, for the biopic ‘Michael,’ a performance that’s since drawn widespread praise for the level of authenticity he brought to the King of Pop’s story.

Much of that authenticity, many have suggested, comes from Jaafar’s own personal connection to Michael. As the son of Jermaine Jackson and nephew of the late superstar, Jaafar grew up alongside his uncle and was just 12 years old when Michael died suddenly in 2009, a loss that shaped how he approached bringing his story to the screen years later.

In a new interview with GQ Middle East, Jaafar opened up about his preparation for the role and, more personally, about the very last time he saw his uncle alive, just two months before Michael’s death. That final memory has now become part of the public conversation surrounding both the actor’s performance and the man behind the legend he portrayed.

Jaafar recalled the encounter taking place at a family anniversary dinner hosted by Joe and Katherine Jackson in Beverly Hills, at a time when Michael was preparing for his planned “This Is It” concert residency in London. He described sitting across from Michael and his father, Jermaine, as the two brothers sang together a cappella. “I was just observing, it was special,” Jaafar told GQ Middle East.

As the evening wound down, Michael told his young nephew he’d see him again soon, expecting to reconnect once his family joined him for the upcoming London shows. “See you in July,” was the last thing Jaafar remembers his uncle saying to him. Michael died two months later, on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50.

Beyond that personal memory, Jaafar also described digging into journals Michael kept during his final years as part of his preparation for the role, searching for insight into his uncle’s ambitions and inner life beyond the public persona. He shared one particularly vivid entry that stuck with him, in which Michael wrote about wanting to walk outside and have “10,000 people stopping in their tracks and just watching me,” a glimpse of the outsized ambition that defined much of his career.

Reflecting on those private writings, Jaafar said he came away struck by how much of Michael’s childlike curiosity and wonder persisted throughout his life, even as he grew older and more famous. That impression, paired with his own childhood memories of Michael, appears to have shaped much of the emotional grounding behind his performance in ‘Michael,’ which has already become a significant commercial success.

With a sequel already being planned to continue exploring Michael’s later years, Jaafar’s willingness to share such a personal, painful memory suggests he sees his role in telling his uncle’s story as something deeply tied to family, not just performance. For a role built on carrying forward someone else’s legacy, that final “see you in July” adds a quietly devastating layer to everything that’s followed.

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