IN the 17 years since Michael Jackson’s death one rumour refuses to go away — is he the father of his own kids?

It’s a mystery that has baffled and fascinated pop fans and now fresh claims are swirling over the paternity of his youngest son Blanket, The Sun can reveal.

In a bizarre twist, friends of the family believe late Hollywood A-lister Marlon Brando may have fathered the 23-year-old, now affectionately known as Bigi, through sperm donation.

A source says: “It has all kicked off within the wider Jackson estate quite recently, with [siblings] Paris and Prince being told of this development.

“It is all very strange, but the pieces of the puzzle seem to all add up. Everyone is trying to get their heads around it.”

Just who fathered his other two kids, Prince and Paris, remains equally mysterious — assuming, of course, the late singer wasn’t exactly an active participant in the conception, as many believe (although their legal connection to the King of Pop remains unchanged and they will continue to benefit from millions of dollars in inheritance from his estate).

Jacko died aged 50 of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication in June 2009, after a cardiac arrest.

‘Helping a friend’

The new parentage theory stems from well-connected US sources, who say that long-standing whispers about The Godfather star Brando may carry more weight than previously thought — and that he may have stepped in to help his close pal father his precious youngest.

Even to casual onlookers, it’s undeniably hard to overlook the striking similarities between Blanket and Brando’s own children, who have deep-set dark eyes and heavy eyebrows — along with the youngest sibling’s contrasting features to his older brother and sister.

Michael and Marlon, who died of respiratory failure in 2004, just two years after Blanket was born, were famously close.

The actor’s son, Miko, had worked alongside the singer as a bodyguard for many years and also appeared in his 2001 music video for You Rock My World.

Miko would go on to explain: “The last time my father left his house to go anywhere, to spend any kind of time, it was with Michael Jackson.

“He loved it. He had a 24-hour chef, 24-hour security, 24-hour help, 24-hour kitchen, 24-hour maid service. Just carte blanche.

“Michael was instrumental helping my father through the last few years of his life. For that, I will always be indebted to him.”

But Hollywood insiders have now claimed that the legendary stars shared a far deeper bond — one which they both took to their graves after Brando, who also appeared in Superman and as Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, agreed to assist his friend in extending his family.

Now a well-placed source tells The Sun: “People have said for years that Michael used sperm donors.

Marlon Brando was among the people who helped him become a dad because he was unable do it himself.

Source

“And that’s pretty much accepted as a fact these days, despite what the Jackson family might have said publicly in the past.

“But what hasn’t been said until recently is that Marlon Brando was among the people who helped him become a dad because he was unable do it himself.

“They were both megastars and very close, so they had a lot of trust between them.

“That’s why it has stayed quiet for so long, but a handful of people close have always known.”

Brando, who is known to have fathered at least 11 children of his own, enjoyed a complex personal life — and chose to keep many of his offspring away from the limelight, instead bringing them up on his secluded private Tahitian island.

Rumours online have previously noted a striking visual likeness between Blanket and Miko Brando.

And there have been several claims that Michael may not be the biological father of any of his children.

Pals claimed he had a low sperm count and had struggled to engage in physical intimacy with women, despite high-profile marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, the mother of his eldest two children.

Blanket’s mum is a mystery surrogate.

I think he had a problem with actually doing the physical act of sex and a very low sperm count as well.

Actor Mark Lester

The paternity assertions went further when former child actor Mark Lester, who played the title role in the 1968 film Oliver!, publicly revealed he had been a sperm donor for close pal Michael in the mid-1990s — an act he described as “a gift” to help him become a father.

In 2009, citing similarities between his own then 15-year-old daughter Harriet and Paris, Mark told a TV interviewer: “I gave Michael my sperm so that he could have kids — and I believe Paris is my daughter.

“I was just helping out a friend. I think he had a problem with actually doing the physical act of sex and a very low sperm count as well.”

He added that he was not the only prominent figure Jackson had asked for help in conceiving children, adding later: “Michael said it would all be completely confidential and I knew he was asking others in his inner circle — actors Macaulay Culkin, Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson, Uri Geller, people from Harvard with doctorates, all sorts.”

‘Rejected DNA test’

And while late singer MJ was legally recognised as all three children’s father and guardian, Mark remained close to the family and was selected by the star as a godfather to each of his offspring.

He has subsequently made repeated offers to meet with the children, expressing a desire to remain close to the family.

However, reports suggest he was met with mixed responses — with eldest sibling Prince quick to shun his approaches, while Paris, who he believed he was most likely to have fathered, was said to be more interested in a meeting.

It remains unclear whether they have had communication since, but the family are said to have rejected his offers of a DNA test and, in a later interview, he claimed “the shutters came down” from the wider Jackson clan.

A former bodyguard and martial arts expert, Mark Fiddes, later revealed he, too, had donated sperm to the late singer, who had told him he was keen to have “an athletic child”.

Following Jackson’s death, Fiddes claimed that he “might” be the biological father of the Thriller star’s youngest — though he admitted the singer had never confirmed this to him, and offered to take a DNA test with Blanket’s approval.

At the time, he was under the age of 17, and in the care of his grandmother, Katherine Jackson.

Michael, whose estate is valued at more than £1.5billion, despite massive debts when he died, left an estimated 40 per cent of his wealth and future income to his kids.

A further 40 per cent went to his mother, Katherine, while the remaining 20 per cent was donated to good causes and philanthropy.

Embraced the limelight

Since then, the siblings have taken different paths — with eldest son Prince initially attempting to follow in his father’s showbiz footsteps by launching a career as an actor and working as an entertainment correspondent on US television.

He later admitted he “didn’t get that gene” and stepped away from the spotlight, instead turning his attention to charity work and launching his own production company, aptly named King’s Son Productions.

But he has subsequently stepped even further out of the public eye, rarely speaking about his father or their famous family.

Meanwhile, Paris, 27, has embraced life in the limelight, launching a successful modelling career, appearing on catwalks and in fashion campaigns for brands such as Stella McCartney and Calvin Klein, as well as starring on the cover of Vogue magazine.

She has also released a series of records, sang at music festivals and landed roles in Hollywood movies alongside A-listers including Charlize Theron and Kelsey Grammer.

But it is Blanket, who adopted the name Bigi in recent years after, not unreasonably, becoming embarrassed by his original name, who has chosen to distance himself furthest from his father’s fame.

He was famously dangled over a hotel balcony in Berlin when he was just a few months old.

Today, he has no social media presence and has avoided celebrity life, but has expressed an interest in working behind the scenes in movies.

In a rare interview several years ago, he explained: “I’m not that kind of person who sings and dances. When I grow up, I want to be a director.”

He has also been a supporter of climate charities and activism.

All three of Michael’s children benefit from a deal with Sony Music to acquire 50 per cent of the singer’s back catalogue, worth an astonishing £465million — at the time the largest ever agreed for the work of a solo musician.

The family have retained the remaining half of his song assets, ensuring a huge income will continue for many decades to come.

As will the many unanswered questions surrounding Michael Jackson’s eccentric and controversial private life.