Michael Jackson's youngest son could be as big a star as his father, it has been claimed.

Family friend Mark Lester - godparent to all three of the late singer's children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11 and seven-year-old Prince Michael II, known as 'Blanket' - says Blanket has shown signs that he shares his dad's phenomenal talents.

Mark revealed: "Prince loved 'Thriller', Paris liked 'Smooth Criminal' best and Blanket adored them all. He could easily be the next Michael Jackson. He loved to dance with his dad and Michael taught him to do the moonwalk."

Mark also laughed off suggestions Michael was suffering from financial problems at the time of his passing, revealing the pop superstar ordered six new cars shortly before his death of a suspected cardiac arrest last month.

Mark added to Britain's Hello! magazine: "He never spoke to me about money but the last time I was with him he'd just ordered six new Lincoln 4x4s as family run-arounds. He had a lot to look forward to.

"When we spent Christmas with Michael in Bahrain, immediately after he was acquitted of child abuse, we returned with 22 crates of gifts including everything from iPods, mobile phones, digital cameras, computers, laptops and PlayStations to trampolines and water slides for our garden."

In addition to his sold-out 50-date London residency, Michael was also preparing other ventures for the future.

Mark explained: "He was in talks about a 'Pirates Of The Caribbean'-style family film, and was hoping Peter Jackson, who directed 'King Kong', would work on it. He'd already started writing music for the movie."