Over the weekend, News of the World published a supposed interview with Michael Jackson’s friend, former Oliver! child star Mark Lester. Lester admitted to donating sperm to Jackson in 1996 and supposedly said that he suspects that Paris Jackson, 11, is his biological daughter. News of the World is not known for their accuracy and was caught fabricating an interview with Paris’ mother, Debbie Rowe, shortly after Michael’s death. The claims seemed somewhat possible, though, as Lester is the godfather to all of Michael’s children and Paris and Prince bear a resemblance to him.

Hello! Magazine featured a long interview with Lester in early July, and there were plenty of pictures of Lester and his family with Jackson, including on Christmas. Lester said that Jackson regularly showered gifts his family over their 25 year friendship. Lester was close with Michael’s children, and mentioned speaking to Paris shortly after her father’s death. Lester is 51 and has four children with his first wife: Lucy, 17, Harriet, 15, Olivia, 14, and Felix, 10

According to sources quoted in People Magazine, Lester did give an interview to News of The World in which he admitted donating sperm to Michael, but he didn’t say that he thinks Paris is his daughter. People’s source says that Lester’s words were twisted around to make it a more compelling story:

Longtime Michael Jackson friend Mark Lester is not the father of Jackson’s daughter, nor is he claiming paternity, despite a tabloid report indicating Lester says he’s Paris Jackson’s biological dad, sources tell PEOPLE.

Although Lester could not immediately be reached for comment, sources very close to the Jackson family say that Lester has donated sperm for Jackson and is a longtime friend, but he has never claimed to be the father of Paris Jackson, 11.

“They twisted his words around. He’s not claiming to be the father of Paris Jackson,” says one close family source.

Jackson family attorney Londell McMillan adds that the story is just another unproven and meaningless claim, and the probate court has no reason to go against its finding that the late King of Pop is father to all three of his kids.

“These are just merely claims with no legal standing whatsoever,” McMillan tells PEOPLE.

Sources say Lester, 51, best known for starring in the Oscar-winning classic Oliver!, and Jackson are longtime friends, and Lester did donate sperm for Michael – although one source says the timing doesn’t line up for that sperm to have been used to conceive Paris.

“He has known Michael for many years and his children play with Michael’s children,” says longtime Jackson family associate and past lawyer Brian Oxman. But in all the years he has known Lester, Oxman says Lester never indicated he was Paris’s father.

Jackson made Lester godfather to all three of his kids in Oct. 2003 at a small, private ceremony where all three Jackson children were baptized Catholic with Debbie Rowe’s permission, says longtime Jackson associate Marc Schaffel, who claims to have been among the handful of people present.

Schaffel added that Debbie Rowe has always maintained that Michael is Paris’s father.

[From People.com]

Did Lester really say that he thinks Paris is his daughter? He seems to be admitting that he said he donated sperm to Jackson, but claiming he didn’t speculate about the paternity of Paris. Michael’s dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein is also rumored to be the father of Jackson’s children. Klein was Debbie Rowe’s employer and recently sent an attorney to court during custody hearings to express his concern for the “education, health care and welfare” of Paris and Prince Michael. Klein admitted donating sperm at one point, but said it wasn’t specifically for Michael. It sounds to me like Michael had two of his close friends donate sperm and then never told them if it was used to conceive any of his children.

At least one report claims Jackson used an anonymous donor for his children’s conception, a dentist from Pennsylvania. Those kids know who their dad was, but is their biological dad going to step out of the woodwork and try to have some part in raising them? Klein told Larry King, “If I was the parent, I would spend every moment of the day with the children.” Lester seems curious but unwilling to stake a paternity claim at this point. Hopefully whatever happens it won’t disrupt those poor kids’ lives. They’ve already gone through so much.

Mark Lester is shown below on 5/5/06. Credit: WENN.com