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Michael Jackson was very meticulous about his daughter's name and the people who would surround her. After deciding, along with Paris Hilton's mom, Kathy Hilton, they would name them after their favorite city, the late singer chose Elizabeth Taylor as her godmother. Paris Jackson said her dad wanted her to grow up with a woman who knew it was like "growing up in the spotlight." Taylor made her acting debut at seven years old.
"There's definitely a part of him that knew that we would have a very similar experience," the 26-year-old said during the first episode of BBC's docuseries Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar. "I was homeschooled and because of that, I don't know what it was like to be around other kids my age. And I think it was just the same for her."
Elizabeth passed away in March 2011, while Michael Jackson passed in June 2009. Just like the King of Pop, who spent his childhood singing in front of the cameras, Taylor spent her childhood in the spotlight as the daughter of actress Sara Sothern and art dealer Francis Lenn Taylor.
Who is Paris Jackson's godfather?
Michael chose another legendary figure in the entertainment industry to guide his daughter's footsteps as a godfather. Jackson chose none other than Macaulay Culkin to participate in her upbringing and personal development. "I am close with Paris," the Home Alone star told WTF with Marc Maron in 2018. She is beloved by me."
"She's tall, and beautiful and smart," he added. "It's great."
All about Paris Jackson's given name
In 2012, La Toya Jackson shared details of Paris's name. In an interview with Yahoo, she revealed Michael and Kathy Hilton made a name pact as kids.
"It's so funny because when we were growing up, we all said that we were going to [one day] have children," La Toya said. "And I told them, 'Well, I'm going to name my first son Prince and my first daughter Paris.' We all said it. Then Kathy had kids, she did it. Michael had kids, he did it. And me, well, I only had dogs!"
Kathy Hilton, mother of socialite and businesswoman Paris Hilton and fashion designer Nicky Hilton, was best friends with Michael Jackson and attended the same high school.
She shared details about their friendship during a conversation with CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight in May 2011. "We met when I was 13 and he was 14, and developed a friendship and a bond throughout the years. And we always kept in touch," Kathy said. "And then when I moved to New York and he would come, and we'd always go to his concerts. And, you know, we started with — we used to make prank phone calls together. And we were little kids."
"We had a really great time. And then he came and visited when Paris was born," she continued. "And then he ended up living at the … ended up moving into the [Waldorf Astoria New York] for six months, when we were living there for eight years. And right before he died, he was at the Bel-Air Hotel [in L.A.], where we were living while we were renovating our home. So he was there about three or four months. So we got to spend, you know, great time."