Michael Jackson’s family were “stunned” after the ex-wife suggested she stood by while a doctor administered Star’s dependent painkillers

MICHAEL Jackson’s family were “stunned” after his ex-wife Debbie Rowe suggested she felt partly responsible for the King of Pop’s death, sources told The Sun.

The Sun exclusively revealed on Thursday how Debbie Rowe, 63, cries as she tells a new documentary she could have done more when the doctor she worked for was addicting patients like Jacko to painkillers.

Insiders say MJ’s mother Katherine, 92, and brother Randy, 66, are “confused” that Rowe is now opening up about her time as a nurse with the late dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein speaks.

Rowe, who was a surrogate mother to Jackson’s children Prince, 25, and Paris, 24, admitted that she “sucked up as a person” for standing by while Klein dispensed prescription drugs to patients.

She made the stunning confession on Fox TV show TMZ Investigates: Who Really Killed Michael Jackson, which airs Tuesday.

In the TV special, she fights back tears as she says: “I was basically as bad as him (Klein). I regret that. i will regret it And I’m so sorry I took part in it.”

In response to the comments, a Jackson family friend said: “Debbie’s decision to speak with this show about what she thinks about Dr. Klein knew has stunned some of the older Jackson family members and Michael’s longtime aide.

“Debbie certainly hasn’t been that open with some of the brothers, so it’s confusing that she’s speaking on a TV show.

“Everyone is talking about the trailers and the media coverage and are baffled as to why she would be speaking out on these issues, especially given the sensitivities within family circles.

“There was always a sense that Debbie was there to help Michael as his nurse.

“Now her comments have made some of them look at her differently.

“It’s weird to be on a show called Who Killed Michael Jackson where he talks about Klein and admits she should have stopped his dealings with customers. It upset her deeply.

“Katherine is very upset. She and her assistants cannot understand why, after all these years, Debbie has decided to break her silence about this part of her life.”

The source added, “It’s no secret that there is tension between Debbie and some of Michael’s brothers. But that brought back a lot of emotions and concerns about Michael’s interactions with Klein.

“While Debbie told producers she wouldn’t be speaking specifically about Michael on the show, it seems extraordinary to mention that Klein’s treatment was apparently responsible for the deaths of some patients. It is very shocking and disturbing.”

Thriller singer Jackson died of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles in June 2009 with enough of the powerful sedative propofol in his system to kill a rhino, former LAPD coroner Ed Winter told the documentary.

Jacko’s doctor, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for giving him the dose of propofol that killed him.

But LAPD detective Orlando Martinez told the documentary it was “a lot more complicated than just Dr. Murray” and other doctors contributed to Jackson’s death.

Martinez said, “There are a lot of people to blame who never had an accounting for his death.”

“FEED JACKSON’S DRUG HABIT”

Rowe refused to talk specifically about Jackson in the documentary, instead focusing on the general harm Klein caused patients.

But she has spoken for decades of being Jackson’s nurse and assistant to Klein while he treated the star.

And during a civil trial over Jackson’s death in 2013, she accused her former boss of feeding Jackson’s addiction.

The Beverly Hills doctor gave Jackson the powerful pain reliever Demerol over the course of three decades to treat his acne blemishes, and the star was hooked on the high.

Klein, who went by the nickname “Father of Botox” and was also known for treating other stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, died in California at the age of 70.

Jackson and Rowe married in 1996 after first meeting 15 years earlier while Michael was being treated by Klein.

Rowe had comforted Jackson after his split from Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie.

She’s spoken openly in the past about how the whirlwind marriage happened so Jackson could become a father.

In a 2003 TV special titled “Michael Jackson: The Footage You Were Never Meant To See,” Rowe said, “I did it for him to be a father, not for me to be a mother.

“You deserve the title of parent. I did absolutely nothing to deserve this title. That’s because Michael did all the upbringing.

“I didn’t do it to be a mother. I haven’t changed diapers. I didn’t get up in the middle of the night, even when I was there Michael did everything.”

‘VERY CHILLED’

After MJ’s death, his children Prince, Paris and Blanket lived with their grandmother Katherine and had minimal contact with Rowe.

But in 2013, then 15-year-old Paris reconnected with her mother.

Last year, Paris gave a rare glimpse into her relationship with Rowe when she told Jada Pinkett Smith’s show Red Table Talk: “It’s cool to meet her, to see how similar we are, to get involved in the kind of music that she really likes.

“She’s really into country and folk, so I sent her some of the stuff I’m working on.

“It’s just cool to have her as a friend.

“It’s very chilled which I love, that’s the perfect word to describe it.”

The family source said: “At this moment Paris and Prince are silent.

“But the older family members will want to know how they feel about Debbie’s decision.

“In the past, Paris has spoken about never really hanging out with Debbie until she was 15.

“Prince doesn’t speak openly about Debbie.”

The Sun has reached out to representatives from Debbie Rowe, Katherine Jackson and Paris Jackson for comment.

TMZ Investigates: Who Really Killed Michael Jackson, featuring exclusive and never-before-seen interviews, premieres Tuesday, September 6 (8pm-10pm ET/PT) on Fox.