BERLIN — Singer Michael Jackson apologized Wednesday for dangling his baby boy from a fourth-floor hotel balcony here after fans on the ground and others around the world watching on television denounced what they saw.
“I made a terrible mistake,” Jackson said. “I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children.”
On Tuesday, Jackson was videotaped clutching his squirming baby with one hand while struggling to adjust a white towel hiding the baby’s face with the other hand. At one point, Jackson appeared to be losing his grip while the baby banged his bare feet against the balcony’s metal railing. He also appeared to be laughing.
Antje Sigesmund, a spokeswoman for Bambi entertainment, which is presenting a lifetime achievement award to Jackson on Thursday, said the child was the singer’s third and youngest, Prince Michael 2nd.
Wearing a mask over his surgically remade face, Jackson was greeted by about 200 screaming fans upon arriving at the deluxe Adlon Hotel, opposite the landmark Brandenburg Gate.
When Jackson got to the presidential suite, he shed the surgical mask he had been wearing and then thrust the baby out the window for his fans to admire. The crowd erupted in applause.
After handing the blue jumper-clad tot to a maid, Jackson trotted out an older child — head also covered with a towel — to wave to the fans. He later threw a pillow out the window for fans to fight over, then gleefully strafed them with a yellow water gun.
Jackson has two children by ex-wife Debbie Rowe: 5-year-old son Prince Michael and 4-year-old daughter Paris. Little is known about Prince Michael 2nd, who is believed to be 9 months old.