Custody Battle Looms Following Michael Jackson's Death

With Michael Jackson's death, Thursday, many questions came to the surface, the immediate ones being how and why. However, the custody of his three children is another pressing issue, cluttered by the same kind of chaos that tarnished much of his later life.

Jackson's mother, Katherine, is taking care his three kids – Prince Michael (12), Paris (11), and Prince Michael II (7) – who are doing fine, according to a Jackson family lawyer.

Jackson's oldest two children came from his three-year marriage to Debbie Rowe. Jackson's third child, Prince Michael II, who is also called Blanket, came by way of a surrogate mother.

Rowe battled Jackson for custody of the three children in 2005, however, decided to relinquish her parental rights, only to get them back because the judge, Stephen Lachs, decided not to complete the process. Because she retained those rights as the legally recognized mother, it is standard procedure in the case of one parent's death that the other receives custody unless it would somehow endanger the children, according to CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

While Rowe is indicating that she will contend for custody of Paris and Prince Michael, the pop-superstar's mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, may also contend for custody, but of all three.

All the Jackson family grandkids and nieces are around Katherine, a mother of 10 in her own right, according to former family attorney Brian Oxman. However, Oxman said, it will be up to the courts.

Further complicating the custody situation is an ABC News report claiming the late singer wanted his children to be looked after by their nanny if anything happened to him. The report came from a quote by Stacey Brown, who co-wrote "Michael Jackson Behind the Mask."