PARIS JACKSON: I'm Lucky to Be Alive

FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER MICHAEL JACKSON'S DRUG-INDUCED DEATH, DAUGHTER PARIS OPENS UP ABOUT HER HEROIN ADDICTION AND CELEBRATES A HOPEFUL NEW CHAPTER.

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ROCKY ROAD "To say that I'm thankful would be a poor euphemism. Gratitude hardly scratches the surface," Paris wrote on Instagram on Jan. 7 to mark five years of sobriety, sharing images of herself in the throes of addiction.

THE late Michael Jackson’s only daughter reached a stunning milestone as she began the new year. “Today marks 5 years clean & sober from all drugs and alcohol,” Paris Jackson wrote on Instagram Jan. 7 alongside photos of medallions she’s quietly collected over years of attending 12-step meetings and pics of her at her worst. “I’ve found that life keeps happening regardless of whether I’m sober or not,” she shared. “But today I get to show up for it.”

Her struggles were worse than anyone knew. Though the 26-year-old model and musician has long been open about the life-altering mental health challenges she’s faced in the wake of her father’s sudden death at 50 in 2009, her new post marked the first time she’s publicly confirmed the dark truth about the extent of her drug abuse: “I’m an alcoholic,” she wrote. “And a heroin addict.” She’s lucky to be alive, she said, marveling, “I can’t believe I almost missed it all.”

PAINFUL PARALLELS

The world remembers the brave 11-year-old girl who 15 years ago stepped up to the mic at her father’s memorial service after his shocking death from a propofol-and-benzodiazepine overdose. “Ever since I was born,” she told an audience of thousands, “Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine, and I just wanted to say I love him so much.” Years later, she began to draw a line between his problems and hers: “That was the first time I ever publicly defended him,” she said.