His ex-wife Debbie Rowe gave birth to the singer's two elder children, Prince Michael and Paris, during their three-year marriage. Jackson's youngest child, Prince Michael II, was born to an unnamed surrogate.
The paternity of the children born to Miss Rowe has long been questioned as both are light-skinned, fair-haired and have blue eyes.
It was claimed by TMZ, the celebrity website that broke news of Jackson's death, that a sperm donor was used. It has also been reported in the US media that Miss Rowe was not the biological mother and that she was a surrogate using donated eggs.
However, Miss Rowe's lawyer Marta Almli said the suggestion was "hurtful and insidious". She added: "Ms Rowe is the biological mother of the two eldest children."
On Monday, Jackson's mother, Katherine, 79, was granted temporary custody of the three children and lodged an application to become their legal guardian.
However, if any party were to challenge Mrs Jackson for custody, the ensuing court case could set a legal precedent as the circumstances are believed to be unique.
Jackson is also not thought to have filed legal papers to formally adopt any of his children, which could further complicate the custody situation.
Katherine Jackson said in recently filed court papers that the children have "no relationship with their biological mother".
There were also reports yesterday that Jackson never filed legal papers to adopt any of his children.
In his 2003 interview with Martin Bashir, Jackson said he used “a surrogate mother and my own sperm cells” to conceive his youngest child. “I had my own sperm cells in my other two children. They are all my children,” he said.
As rumours swirled around the late entertainer’s personal life, arrangements were being made for Jackson’s body to return to his former home, Neverland, where fans will be allowed to pay their last respects to the singer, who died last Thursday aged 50.
The hearse will be accompanied to the ranch in Santa Barbara, California, by a 30-strong motorcade. Tens of thousands of fans are expected to line the route on Friday and to queue at the gates of Neverland where a public viewing will be held, according to the website TMZ.com, which broke the news of Jackson’s death. A private funeral will take place on Sunday, according to reports last night.
Neverland was closed in 2006 after Jackson failed to keep up payments and the property has fallen into disrepair. Now there is talk of it becoming a money-spinning tourist attraction in the mould of Graceland, Elvis Presley’s former home.
Documents from 2007, which came to light yesterday, help to clarify Jackson’s tangled finances. They showed that the singer had debts of $331 million (£200 million) but assets of just over $576 million, which left him with a net worth of $236 million.
He also had $668,215 in cash, according to the report, which valued his 50 per cent stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing at $390 million.
