Prince Michael I and Paris , said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin , who has followed Jackson 's legal woes for years . `` Certainly any court that is looking at that sort of question will say , if the father dies who is the mother and would we consider giving the children to the mother ? '' Toobin said . `` As I understand it , in later years after a substantial amount of time when Debbie Rowe did n't see those children at all , she started to have a relationship with them again . So she 'd certainly be an obvious candidate for custody of those two children . '' Watch Toobin talk about Jackson 's legal issues '' The question of custody for the third child would be even more up in the air since his mother was likely never involved in his life , Toobin added . The three kids are staying with their paternal grandmother , Katherine Jackson , People magazine reported . She may just wind up keeping them , observers said . `` Katherine is the logical choice -- she has all the grandkids and nieces around her but it will
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Jackson 's life has ended , but the legal battles over his possessions , his debts and his children are likely just beginning . Michael Jackson , seen here with two of his three children , died suddenly on Thursday . Perhaps the biggest and saddest question is what will happen to the late singer 's two sons and his daughter : 12-year-old Prince Michael I , 11-year-old Paris and 7-year-old Prince Michael II . Normally in such cases , care of the children would be taken over by the surviving parent or a close relative . But as with many other aspects of Jackson 's life , his family situation was complex , unusual and far from normal . Born to two mothers -- Jackson 's ex-wife Debbie Rowe and an unidentified woman who reportedly served as a surrogate -- the children lived and traveled the world with Jackson , their faces often covered by veils and masks when appearing in public . Rowe gave up her parental rights to her two kids with the singer , but later battled to have them restored . She may be considered to take over custody for