Reverend Al Sharpton has defended Michael Jackson‘s family for allowing the star’s daughter Paris to speak at his funeral, because it gave her a chance to vindicate her father.
The 11 year old paid tribute to her dad at the service in Los Angeles on Tuesday, fighting back tears as she said, “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine and I just wanted to say I love him so much.”
The Jacksons were later blasted by child psychologists for allowing Paris to take to the stage, insisting the media attention could be “potentially very traumatic” for her.
But Sharpton, a friend of the late King of Pop, has stood up in defence of the speech and praised young Paris for her efforts.
He tells U.S. talk show host Larry King, “That — that touched everyone. And I think you couldn’t script that. She’s not reading a prompter. This is a young lady — in fact, if you saw it, they had really said they wanted Janet Jackson to speak. And Janet kind of brought her forward. And she spoke from the heart about her father. I think she’s worried the whole world understands how human Michael Jackson was.”
The ‘Thriller’ singer’s close friend Dionne Warwick also congratulated Paris for her moving tribute: “I think she spoke instead of Janet… it tore my heart out.”
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