LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson's father wants the late singer's estate to help him cover living expenses that exceed $20,000 a month, according to court papers filed Friday.

The estate is already paying Jackson's mother a monthly allowance of $26,000 and an attorney for Joe Jackson wrote in the Superior Court filing that the family patriarch was entitled to the “same manner” of support. In the papers, the 81-year-old's lawyer wrote that Michael Jackson had footed his father's bills for decades.

“He does not have a regular or steady source of income, and he was dependent upon the money provided by his son, Michael Jackson, through his wife, Katherine Jackson, for his support,” attorney Brian Oxman wrote. He said in an interview that the amount the singer paid to his parents when he was alive was about one-third of what Katherine Jackson is getting.

“She's receiving sufficiently less. … When Michael passed away, the money stopped,” he said.