Michael Jackson's Children Celebrate His Birthday with a Trip to His Hometown

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagicMichael Jackson's three children, Prince, Paris and Blanket, visited his hometown, Gary, Indiana, on Wednesday to celebrate what would have been his 54th birthday.

Paris tweeted a photo from her father's childhood home on Jackson St., where a large group of fans held a vigil to remember the late King of Pop. "[Y]ou guys are amazing!!!," she wrote. Included in the group at the annual event were Rev. Jesse Jackson and Gary's mayor.

What makes this year's vigil different, according to People, is that it was planned with help from Michael's family, including his mom, Katherine Jackson, who also made the pilgrimage to Gary. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, she and her grandkids ****** the city and signed autographs for fans.

"It's a new experience for us. People are real nice here," Prince tells a local reporter in one video clip. "It's amazing how much he was respected and loved," he says.

Paris adds that she and her brothers have "adjusted" since their dad's death in 2009. "And I think that coming here and seeing our dad's old house, and all the fans coming out, I think it's really sweet that they did that," she says.

She hopes that people remember her father as "one of the greatest and nicest guys ever."

In New York City, Jackson was celebrated during the latest installment of Billboard and Pepsi's Summer Beats concert series. Ne-Yo and Melanie Fiona both took the stage at Gotham Hall on Wednesday night, performing some of the late King of Pop's hits, along with their own music, according to Billboard. The special event, which is part of Pepsi's year-long celebration of Jackson's 1987 album, Bad. Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the set's release, and fans will have a chance to get their hands on an anniversary reissue of the album on September 18.