Family of Prince’s half brother frustrated by lack of headstone
By Emily Rittman
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — Relatives of the half brother of late rock superstar Prince are frustrated with a Kansas City cemetery.
They say they are waiting for a headstone for Prince’s sibling Alfred Jackson Jr., who passed away in August of 2019.
When Jackson’s family visits the Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery, they say they don’t know which plot is his because years after his death his headstone has not arrived.
“All I have as a marker is this tree standing behind me,” Jackson’s brother Bruce Jackson said. “That’s the only marker I have is a tree. That’s sad. It’s unacceptable. When it comes to visiting, I’m playing the guessing game. I come out here, I don’t know where to put roses or flowers for my brother.”
Jackson says it’s time he and his siblings receive a headstone for their brother Alfred Jackson Jr.’s resting place. Alfred Jackson Jr. was the son of music legend Prince’s mother Mattie Baker and Alfred Jackson Sr. He was a Vietnam veteran who served in the Air Force.
“As months and years went on, I just became very impatient,” Bruce Jackson said. “You can see there has been no media coverage. I’ve been overly patient with them to get this matter right, to correct the situation.”
Jackson’s sister Venita Jackson-Leverette says they’ve tried to get answers from the Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery for their brother.
“It shouldn’t be like this to just to get a headstone put on,” Jackson-Leverette said. “I’ve been out here on multiple occasions. I’ve talked to different people. The main office, I guess the staff has changed multiple times. All I wanted is a simple answer as to when it will be placed.”
Relatives say they’ve received several unsatisfactory explanations over the years.
Bruce Jackson said, “One, it was COVID. ‘Let us get past COVID.’ Then second it was, ‘You guys got to come up with a picture, give us a picture.’ We gave them a photo. Then the next excuse was, ‘We are under different ownership.’ Patience is running out now.”
They hope their wait for a headstone finally comes to an end.
“We need closure and a gravestone,” Jackson-Leverette said.
KCTV5 News called and emailed the cemetery to request comment. As of 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, KCTV5 News had not received a response.
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