The Jacksons are one of the most famous families in entertainment. Since brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael made their debut as The Jackson 5, the singing siblings have had countless hits and won several awards between them. But while we know a lot about the Jackson brothers and their baby sister Janet, there are two other Jackson sisters, Rebbie and LaToya who don’t get as much attention.
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From their desire to stay out of show biz to their romantic relationships, here are a few interesting facts you may not have known about Rebbie and LaToya Jackson.
A Second Mother
Born May 29, 1950 in Gary, Indiana, Maureen “Rebbie” Reillette Jackson is Joseph and Katherine’s first-born child and the oldest of the singing siblings. As the oldest, she often took on the role of caretaker for her young brothers and sisters.
“I was like a second mother to my brothers and sisters,” she once said. “I helped raise them, cooked for them and made sure they were taken care of.”
But part of taking care of her younger brothers and sisters sometimes meant bearing the burden of their father’s abuse, as younger sister LaToya wrote in her 1991 memoir.
“The beatings were frequent and severe,” she wrote. “Rebbie often took the brunt of it, shielding the younger children from our father’s wrath.”
Performing With Her Siblings
Although Rebbie didn’t set out to pursue a career in the music business, she did take the stage with her siblings for their 1974 shows in Las Vegas as well as their television series, “The Jacksons.”
Married Her Childhood Sweetheart
When an 18-year-old Rebbie announced that she wanted to marry her childhood love Nathaniel Brown, her father Joe Jackson was not happy, thinking she should focus her efforts on pursuing a career in music like her siblings instead.
But Rebbie followed her heart, marrying Nathaniel in 1968. The couple had three children together, daughters Stacee and Yashi, and son, Austin. Rebbie was married to Nathaniel for more than four decades, until he passed away in January of 2013 after a battle with cancer.
Rebbie’s Solo Career Got a Late Start
While most of the Jackson siblings got into the music business as kids, big sister Rebbie was much older when she launched her solo career. She was 34 when her debut album “Centipede” was released in 1984.
“Even though music is a part of all of us, I just never thought about doing it on a professional level. I was happy after I’d gotten married, having my family and doing those things. That’s what I was into,” she said in an interview.
“Centipede”
In 1984, Rebbie collaborated with brother Michael, who wrote and produced the song “Centipede” for her. The song, which would be Rebbie’s only hit, rose to number 4 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 - and it gave her a chance to show off her moves in the music video.
She’s Got a Singing Son
Although Rebbie wasn’t all that interested in a career in the music industry, her son, Austin Brown, definitely inherited the Jackson family’s musical talent. But he’s not taking his performing pedigree for granted. In a 2017 interview with HuffPost, he said he wants to make sure “people actually listen to me instead of listening to the next generation Jackson or because I’m Michael Jackson’s nephew.
Here, he performs a beautiful rendition of Eric Clapton’s “Change the World” on Big Boy’s Neighborhood.
The Middle Child
Born May 29, 1956, LaToya is the fifth of the Jackson siblings. Fun fact: she shares a birthday with her older sister Rebbie who was born on the same day in 1950.
LaToya Didn’t Do a Lot of Dating
Without question, LaToya Jackson is a beautiful woman. But she’ll be the first to tell you that she didn’t do a lot of dating when she was young. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, LaToya admitted that she didn’t go out with many guys due to their family being devout Jehovah’s Witnesses. She said in their faith, people dated to get married.
But There Was That One Time With Prince
While she didn’t go out with many guys alone, LaToya recalls a group outing with a popular pop star who had a thing for her.
“Prince did like me, but I didn’t date him,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “We’ve gone roller skating. But not just with me, I think Kathy Hilton was there, my brother Michael was there, my sister was there, so it was like a group.”
She Wanted to Be a Lawyer
Like her sister Rebbie, a career in entertainment wasn’t LaToya’s first choice. In an interview with Piers Morgan, she admits that she wanted to be an attorney, but her father had other plans.
“I went to school for a little while and my father took me right out,” she said. “He said ‘No, you’re gonna sing like everybody else in this family. You were born to entertain and this is what you’re going to do,’”
Claims of Abuse
LaToya has been one of the most outspoken about what life was like in the Jackson home. She described her family as “highly dysfunctional” in an interview with Regis and Kathie Lee Gifford to promote her 1991 memoir, “LaToya: Growing Up in the Jackson Family,” describing the abuse she and her siblings endured throughout their lives.
“It was very, very hard. My father was very strict. He beat us,” she said. “My brothers were grown and he would take his fist and he would punch them and knock them down the steps constantly.
She Posed in Playboy
In 1989, LaToya took a risk when she decided to take it off for a cover shoot in Playboy magazine. When asked to explain why she decided to sit for such a racy shoot, she said it was because it was the opposite of what anyone would expect from her.
“I like doing things that are different, that are totally opposite of me, that are daring,” she said in an interview with ‘Good Morning America.’ “I decided to take the chance and do it.”
She Spoke Out Against Her Brother
While most of the Jackson family stood by Michael when he was facing allegations of child molestation, LaToya was actively speaking out against him, accusing him of “crimes against small innocent children.”
In a 1993 press conference, she said she believed the children, adding that she was aware of hush money payments made to the families.
“If I remain silent, then that means that I feel the guilt and the humiliation that these children are feeling, and I think it’s very wrong,” she said.
Years later, she would change course, saying she believed her brother was innocent.
She Blamed it All on Her Manager-Husband
LaToya Jackson has been married three times, but by far, her most turbulent relationship was with her first husband and manager, Jack Gordon. In a 2005 interview with “20/20,” Jackson said she was controlled by Gordon, who coerced her into posing for the Playboy spread and speaking out against her brother Michael’s behavior with children. She said he controlled her for nearly a decade with threats and abuse.
“This was not the LaToya that my family knew, was not the LaToya that friends knew,” she said.
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