Michael Jackson's Skin Condition Led to 'Insecurity' About His 'Blotchy Appearance,' Son Prince Admits

Although he was only the age of 12 when his dad, Michael Jackson, died, Prince Jackson was old enough to understand the hardships his famous father faced throughout his lifetime.

During a rare appearance on the "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson" podcast, the 26-year-old opened up about the "Thriller" singer's insecurities regarding his skin condition, vitiligo, "a chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color," according to the National Institute of Health.

"When I was younger, he was always explaining to me, speaking about that," Prince recalled of his father's loss of skin color prior to the King of Pop's death in 2009 — which occurred after he suffered cardiac arrest from consuming a fatal combination of drugs provided by his personal doctor.

"I think it was even in the autopsy report," Prince noted to Mike Tyson of his dad's skin disease. "I think the cause of it is up for speculation, but it's either vitiligo or some form of lupus which contributed to the vitiligo."

"He had a lot of insecurity around, kind of looking blotchy in his appearance. So he wanted to see if he could smooth out his appearance, to help with his security on his physical appearance," Prince admitted of Michael — who many speculated was bleaching his own skin in an effort to get rid of the blotchiness.

During an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993, Michael vehemently denied the incessant rumors and accusations — though an abundance of people still believe he was using skin-bleaching prescriptions to even out his skin tone in addition to frequently applying fair-colored makeup to hide his patchy coloration.

"I have a skin disorder the pigmentation of my skin. It is something I cannot help," the late pop star told Oprah 30 years ago. "When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me. It's a problem for me. I can't control it."

"But what about all the millions of people who sit in the sun to become darker, to become other than what they are? Nobody says nothing about that," Michael added at the time. "It's in my family, I can't control it. It makes me very sad. I try to control it, and using makeup evens it out because I have blotches on my skin and I have to even it out."

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"But you know what's funny? Why is that so important? That's not important to me," Michael concluded during the 1993 interview — which occurred one year before he would tie the knot with Lisa Marie Presley, though his marriage to the late daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley would quickly come to an end by 1996.

That same year, he married Debbie Rowe before divorcing her in 2000.