Michael Jackson appeared in public over the weekend amid reports he is secretly battling skin cancer.

The singer was pictured leaving a medical facility in Los Angeles before accompanying his three children to a local toy store.

Jackson's public appearance came as The Sun newspaper reported that the star had been diagnosed with skin cancer.

According to The Sun, doctors had identified spots of skin cancer on the singer’s upper body and pre-cancerous cells on his face.

But the claims, published on Saturday, were denied by Jackson's spokesman, Dr Tohme Tohme, as “not true”.

He told the New York Daily News that Jackson was "great", adding: "He's in perfect health ... he doesn't have any diseases whatsoever."

Jackson is due to make his comeback this summer with a 50-night residency at London’s O2 Arena.

Jackson, now 50, is due to begin the gigs in July and perform until next February.

The singer has not performed a full concert since he was cleared of child molestation charges in 2005.

His last full tour, entitled HIStory, took place in 1996 and '97.

Michael Jackson in Los Angeles