He's kept a low-profile since the death of his father Michael Jackson nine years ago.

However, Blanket Jackson made a rare public outing in Los Angeles on Sunday as he did a spot of Christmas shopping.

The 16-year-old, who is still sporting the long dark locks he has had since a child, visited a branch of Barnes & Nobles to buy some books.

Despite being one of the heir to his father's multi-million dollar fortune, Blanket looked like a regular teenager in his shorts and Spider-Man T-shirt.

Blanket - real name Prince Michael Jackson II - has been brought up by his grandmother Katherine Jackson, 88, since his father's shock death of a cardiac arrest in June 2009.

His grandfather Joe, who died in June this year, said that Blanket was the most like his famous son, compared to his older siblings Prince and Paris.

Joe wrote on his website about Blanket: "You are like your father in so many ways, and you remind me most of him."

During his father's lifetime, Michael went to great lengths to keep Blanket and his siblings out of the spotlight.

While Paris and Prince are Michael's children from his brief marriage to Debbie Rowe, Blanket's biological mother has never been revealed.

It is believed Blanket was born to a surrogate through artificial insemination with Michael's sperm.

In November 2002, Michael and Blanket hit the headlines when the singer dangled his wriggling child over the balcony of his Berlin hotel, to the shock of witnessing fans.

The humiliated singer later referred to the incident as a "terrible mistake".

Following Michael's death, Paris and Prince have embraced life in the public eye after being previously hidden by their father, although Blanket has continued to live out of the spotlight.

According to friends, Blanket loves doing martial arts and playing video games.