Katherine Jackson

Jackson was born as Kattie B. Screws[1][2] on May 4, 1930 in Clayton, Alabama, the eldest of two daughters to Martha (née Upshaw; December 14, 1902 – April 29, 1990) and Prince Albert Screws (October 16, 1907 – January 21, 1997). Jackson contracted polio at age two, which left her with a noticeable permanent limp. In 1934, her father changed his surname to Scruse, and renamed her to Katherine Esther Scruse.[2]

As a child, Jackson aspired to become an actress or country singer, but was dismayed to find no notable black country stars. Jackson's parents divorced when she was still a child. Jackson joined her high school band while a student at Washington High School in East Chicago, Indiana.

In 1947, Katherine Scruse met Joseph "Joe" Jackson, a fellow resident of East Chicago. Joseph began dating Katherine after obtaining an annulment of his earlier marriage. The couple married on November 5, 1949, after dating for a year. In January 1950, they purchased a two-bedroom house in Gary. During the couple's early years in Gary, they sang together, with Joe playing guitar. After the end of Joe's boxing career, he continued working at nearby East Chicago's Inland Steel Company. From 1950 until 1966, Joe and Katherine Jackson had 10 children, including twins Marlon and Brandon, the latter of whom died a few hours after birth. Those children are:[3]

• Maureen Reillette "Rebbie" Jackson (born May 29, 1950)
• Sigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson (born May 4, 1951)
• Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson (born October 15, 1953)
• Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954)
• La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956)
• Marlon David Jackson (born March 12, 1957)
• Brandon David Jackson (born and died March 12, 1957); 2 months premature
• Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)
• Steven Randall "Randy" Jackson (born October 29, 1961)
• Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966)

The Jackson 5 was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana. It included brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine, with younger brothers Marlon and Michael joining soon after.[4][5][6][7] The Jackson 5 performed in talent shows and clubs on the Chitlin' Circuit, then signed with Steeltown Records in 1967 and released two singles.[8] The group was managed by Joe Jackson.[9] In 1968, the group left Steeltown Records and signed with Motown, where they were the first group to debut with four consecutive number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with the songs "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There".[10]

During the Jackson 5's 1970–71 heyday, Katherine Jackson – along with her three daughters and youngest son – was barely mentioned in the press. This changed in 1974 when Joe began building careers around his three younger children and eldest daughter. Jackson started to become part of her husband's management team when the grown-up members of the group (which renamed themselves The Jacksons after splitting from Motown in 1975) reunited for the Victory Tour in 1984.

Michael Jackson dedicated his 1982 album Thriller to her. Janet Jackson did the same following the release of her 1989 album Rhythm Nation 1814, the first album where she was not under the watchful eye of her father following the success of Control, as Janet had fired him months after its release. In 1985, acknowledging what was then a positive impact on her children's successful music careers, national urban magazine Essence honored her as "Mother of the Year".

Jackson filed for divorce in March 1973, but chose to rescind the divorce papers.[11] In August 1974, Joe and Cheryl Terrell's daughter, Joh'Vonnie Jackson, was born. Jackson would again file for divorce in 1982, but again would rescind the papers. Joe and Katherine would go on to live separately, but remain legally married until Joe's death in 2018.[12]. Despite rumours that the couple were estranged, Katherine denied them.[13][14] In 1990, Jackson released her autobiography, My Family, The Jacksons, which documented her early years and her relationship with her husband and their children, eight of whom wrote salutes to their mother in the book's foreword.[3]

In 1980, Jackson and her two youngest children, Randy and Janet, confronted a woman who worked for Joseph's company, whom Jackson had often reportedly accused of cheating with Joseph.[12] The incident was redramatized for the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. However, in the miniseries, Jackson was shown confronting Joseph instead of the woman about the alleged incident. During the late 1980s, Jackson began experiencing an estrangement from her daughter La Toya after she was being managed by Jack Gordon. In her 1991 memoir La Toya: Growing Up in the Jackson Family, La Toya alleged that Jackson was emotionally abusive, charges Jackson denied and blamed La Toya's husband for "brainwashing" her. In 1997, La Toya and her mother reconciled after she filed for divorce from Gordon.

Jackson was portrayed by Angela Bassett in the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. Patricia Idlette portrayed her in the 2004 film Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story. In a 2010 interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Jackson acknowledged that her husband had admitted to having physically disciplined their children.[15] Over the years, some claimed that Joe was abusive towards his children, which he continually denied.

On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson died from cardiac arrest and an overdose of propofol. In July 2009, Katherine Jackson and Debbie Rowe, the mother of Michael's two oldest children, reached a settlement pertaining to the care of Rowe's children, Prince and Paris. The agreement provided that the children would be raised by Katherine and Rowe would have visitation rights and would continue to receive the yearly payments to which Michael had agreed. On August 3, 2009, a judge named Jackson as the children's permanent guardian.

As of 2011, Jackson resided at her home in Calabasas, California with her grandson, TJ Jackson, and his family. Jackson moved out of her Hayvenhurst home in Encino, California due to house renovations.[16][17]

On July 25, 2012, Jackson's guardianship of the children was suspended by the court amid allegations that she may have been held against her will by several Jackson family members as a result of a financial dispute between those family members and Michael's estate.[18] Guardianship of the children was temporarily given to Michael's nephew, TJ Jackson, one of Tito's sons.[19] Katherine Jackson's guardianship later resumed, with TJ Jackson added as a co-guardian.[20][21]

On November 1, 2017, Jackson resigned as co-guardian of Michael's youngest son, Blanket. Jackson stated her reasons for resigning included her own advanced age, the fact that Michael's oldest children Prince and Paris Jackson were now adults, and that Blanket was now 15 years old. TJ Jackson was, without objection, awarded sole custody of Blanket.[22]