Tonight at the 2009 BET Awards, a very special guest helped pay tribute to the King of Pop. For the first time since Michael Jackson’s death, his younger sister stepped out in public to address his fans.

“My entire family wanted to be here tonight, but it was just too painful so they elected me to speak with all of you. I’m going to keep it very short, but I’d just like to say that to you - Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family, and he will forever live in all of our hearts,” Janet stated. “On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all your love. Thank you for all your support. We miss him so much.”

Michael’s father was also in attendance at this evening’s awards ceremony. In a red carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight, Joe Jackson declared that the family was “fine” and “doing the best” that they could. He also said that the love being expressed for his son “would have been better if [Michael] could have enjoyed it himself.”