Joe Jackson, the father of Michael Jackson and architect of the Jackson 5, died today at 89 years of complications from cancer in Las Vegas (Nevada), reported the website TMZ, specializing in celebrity information.
The publication said on the 22nd that Jackson suffered from cancer “for a while” and that he was “in the last phase”, since the disease reached that point “could not be treated”.
Joe was the architect of the birth of the Jackson 5 and the explosion of his sons Michael and Janet, through his controversial method of endless trials and iron discipline.
Born on July 26, 1928 in Arkansas, Jackson married Katherine Scruse in 1949 and had 10 children in common: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Brandon (deceased shortly after birth), Michael, Randy, Rebbie, La Toya and Janet.
Joe Jackson also had another daughter, Joh’Vonnie Jackson, with Cheryl Terrell, with whom he allegedly had an affair for 25 years.
Joseph “Joe” Jackson was, possibly, the most successful father in the history of music when managing the career of his children. Boxer, guitarist and crane operator in his youth, his passion for music led him to form a band with his children known at the beginning as Jackson Brothers, which later became known as Jackson 5.
It was the dawn of the 1960s in the rural town of Gary (Indiana) and the patriarch of the Jackson opted for Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael to start a series of tough trials that were aimed at nothing more or less than achieve stardom.
On that road, Jackson became an iron sergeant and his children saw him as an authoritarian figure to whom they had to fear if they did not comply with their requests. In fact, his children should call him Joseph and could not address him as “father” or “dad”.
No wonder, then, that even Michael Jackson accused him of physical and emotional abuse.
“He was very strict,” admitted the artist in an interview with Oprah Wifrey in 1993. “It was very hard, just a glance from him was capable of terrorizing you, there were moments when he came to see me and made me sick. .
The patriarch always denied these abuses publicly and in declarations to the BBC chain he even said: “I whipped Michael with a belt, but I never hit him. You hit someone with a stick”.
Jermaine Jackson was one of the few members of the clan who defended his father’s attitude and, in a 2005 interview with Larry King, said: “That took us off the streets.”
Joe Jackson even came to be accused of sexually overreaching with one of his daughters, Rebbie, as La Toya Jackson reported in his autobiography “Growing Up in the Jackson Family: The Toya.”
After a series of performances in local competitions and small venues, Joe Jackson got them to bet on the Jackson 5 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem (New York) and after acting there they signed their first record deal.
This is how his first single, “Big Boy”, and his move to the big leagues would come, after signing for the famous label Motown Records in 1969, with which they created hits like “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save “or” I’ll Be There. ”
In the mid-70s the relationship with Motown deteriorated and the patriarch signed a new and lucrative contract for the band with Epic Records. Already without Jermaine – who continued on his own in Motown – and with the entrance of Randy, they were renamed the Jacksons.
Michael also signed with Epic Records for his solo career and years later, in 1982, Joe Jackson launched the career of another huge talent that he had taken care of and polished: that of his daughter Janet, who got a contract with A & M Records.
The careers of the Jacksons and, especially, of Michael and Janet reached stratospheric records in the early 80’s. At that time, the disdain for the authoritarianism of his father was public and notorious. After the earthquake of “Thriller”, the mythical disc of Michael Jackson, the brothers decided to separate professionally from their father.
From there, the patriarch began his particular fall with financial problems, which became especially palpable when he tried to take advantage of the death of his son Michael in 2009, by announcing the creation of a new label, Chi-Coast Entertainment, with him at I send.
His health worsened rapidly since 2015, when he suffered a stroke and three heart attacks until his death on Wednesday.
