On July 1, it was announced that Michael Jackson's will had named the star's beloved mother, Katherine, as the guardian of Michael's three kids. But his father, Joseph Jackson, was the person publicly professing to caring for Prince Michael I, 12, Paris Katherine Michael, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, four days after his second-youngest son died at 50 of cardiac arrest, which an insider says was precipitated by a cocktail of drugs.

Now Michael's closest friends are stepping forward to contest the guardianship, saying the singer never intended for his father -- who has admitted to "whipping" Michael as a child -- to be involved in the kids' lives. "I know that Michael would never have wanted his children with Joe -- that would be the last thing he would've ever wanted," reveals an insider. "Michael had a very difficult relationship with his family."

For more on Michael's troubled relationship with his father Joe, pick up the new issue of Life & Style, on newsstands now.

Photo Credit: Landov