In April 2026, a biopic about Michael Jackson opened in cinemas worldwide — and the actor playing the King of Pop was Jaafar Jackson, son of Michael’s older brother Jermaine. That casting choice alone tells you something essential: the Jackson story was never just about one man. It was always a family affair, and it remains one today.
Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, the eighth of Joseph and Katherine Jackson’s 10 children. He outlasted his own era.However, the siblings who grew up with him, who cooperated, competed, and occasionally disagreed with him, are a tale worth sharing in its whole rather than as anecdotes to his biography, but as individuals who each carved something real from the same extraordinary raw material.
Quick Bio
| Sibling | Birth Date | Status | Key Achievement |
| Rebbie Jackson | May 29, 1950 | Alive (age 76) | Debut album Centipede (1984); R&B Top 15 |
| Jackie Jackson | May 4, 1951 | Alive (age 75) | Founding Jackson 5 member; Rock Hall of Fame 1997 |
| Tito Jackson | Oct 15, 1953 | Died Sep 15, 2024 | Founding Jackson 5 member; solo debut 2016 |
| Jermaine Jackson | Dec 11, 1954 | Alive (age 71) | Jackson 5 co-lead; solo hits; duets with Whitney Houston |
| La Toya Jackson | May 29, 1956 | Alive (age 70) | Solo artist; controversial public statements; author |
| Marlon Jackson | March 12, 1957 | Alive (age 69) | Founding Jackson 5 member; twin to Brandon |
| Brandon Jackson | March 12, 1957 | Died shortly after birth | Twin of Marlon |
| Michael Jackson | Aug 29, 1958 | Died Jun 25, 2009 | King of Pop; best-selling solo artist in history |
| Randy Jackson | Oct 29, 1961 | Alive (age 64) | Replaced Jermaine in 1976; Modern Records president 1998 |
| Janet Jackson | May 16, 1966 | Alive (age 60) | 100M+ records sold; Rock Hall of Fame 2019 |
| Joh’Vonnie Jackson | Aug 30, 1974 | Alive | Half-sibling; Joe Jackson’s daughter from extramarital affair |
Gary, Indiana: Where Everything Started
Joe Jackson worked as a crane operator. Katherine was a devout Jehovah’s Witness with a gift for music. They raised ten children in a modest house at 2300 Jackson Street — a street that now carries their name — in Gary, Indiana, one of America’s most economically battered industrial cities.
The musical ambition in that household came from both directions. Joe spotted talent and pushed relentlessly. Katherine provided the spiritual steadiness that kept the family grounded when the pressure became extreme.
Joe and his brothers had a band of their own called the Falcons. When he noticed Tito secretly playing his guitar and discovered the boy had genuine ability, he didn’t punish him. He formed a group instead. That decision, made in a small Indiana house in the early 1960s, changed popular music.
See also “Erin Barry: The Woman Behind the Scandal, and the Life That Preceded It“
Brandon: The Sibling Nobody Mentions
Before discussing the famous nine, one name deserves acknowledgement.
Brandon Jackson was born on March 12, 1957 — Marlon’s twin. He died hours after birth. His absence shaped the family in ways that never fully surfaced until Michael’s 2009 memorial service, when Marlon stood before the world and told his late brother to give “my twin brother, Brandon, a hug for me.”
In that sentence, Brandon finally existed publicly. He had lived for hours. He had been carried as a presence for 52 years.
Rebbie Jackson: The One Who Chose Her Children First
Maureen Reillette Jackson — always known as Rebbie — was born on May 29, 1950. She was the eldest by a full year, and the family’s musical ambitions were already in motion before she decided to join them publicly.
She married Nathaniel Brown in 1968. She raised children. She performed with her famous brothers in Las Vegas from 1974, but she did not pursue her own recording career until her family responsibilities allowed it. Columbia Records signed her in 1982. Her debut album, Centipede, arrived two years later in October 1984.
The album was a family collaboration in the most literal sense. Michael wrote and produced the title track. Randy and Tito co-wrote other songs alongside her husband. Centipede the single sold over a million copies and reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart. The album itself landed at number 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 63 on the Billboard 200.
Two more albums followed: Reaction in 1986 and R U Tuff Enuff in 1988. After a decade’s break, she returned with Yours Faithfully in 1998. She also contributed a track to the Free Willy 2 soundtrack in 1995. Her husband Nathaniel died in 2013.
In 2011, she launched the Pick Up the Phone Tour, aimed at raising awareness around teen suicide across America. That commitment — to something completely outside entertainment — speaks to a woman who always prioritised what she believed mattered.
Publicly she was the quiet eldest sister. Privately, she chose her children over her career at every junction where the two conflicted. That choice cost her momentum. It also gave her three children and a marriage that lasted 45 years. She has never suggested she regrets the trade.
Jackie Jackson: The Leader Who Held the Line
Jackie Jackson — born May 4, 1951 as Sigmund Esco Jackson — was the oldest brother and early leader of the group. His smooth tenor defined the band’s early sound before Michael’s voice matured into something that eclipsed everyone around him.
He was a founding member of the Jackson 5, the eldest of the five brothers who signed with Motown Records in 1969. The group’s Motown run produced one of the most remarkable opening streaks in pop history: their first four singles — “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” & “I’ll Be There”—all achieved the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.No group has matched that debut record since.
Jackie attempted a solo career while still in the group. His 1973 self-titled album and 1989’s Be the One both charted modestly. He broke the top 40 with the single “Stay.” These were respectable commercial results — just not results that generated much attention against the backdrop of his brother’s global dominance.
Behind the scenes, he co-wrote material for sisters Rebbie and La Toya, produced film soundtracks in the 1980s, and eventually launched his own label, Critically Amused, in 2018. He appeared in the 2009 reality series The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty. After Tito’s death in September 2024, he has continued carrying the family name into public spaces, performing occasionally with surviving brothers.
At 75, he is the oldest surviving Jackson. He has four children. He has watched four of his siblings die — Brandon, Michael, Tito, and his father Joe in 2018.
Tito Jackson: The Spark That Started the Band
Tito Jackson — born Toriano Adaryll Jackson on October 15, 1953 — is responsible, in the most direct sense, for the Jackson 5 existing at all.
He secretly taught himself to play his father’s guitar as a boy. When Joe caught him, the expected punishment never came. Instead, Joe saw something worth developing. He formed a group with Jackie, Tito, and eventually Jermaine. That act of creative leniency — from a man not particularly known for gentleness — produced one of the most influential musical groups in American history.
Tito played guitar throughout the Jackson 5 and later The Jackson’s years. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside his brothers in 1997. His solo career arrived late and quietly — his debut album Tito Time didn’t appear until 2016, when he was 62 years old. A second album, Under Your Spell, followed in 2021. In 2021 he released “Love One Another” featuring his sons and Stevie Wonder, with most surviving siblings appearing in the video.
The group 3T was created by his kids, Taj, Taryll, and TJ. He married Delores “Dee Dee” Martes in 1972. They divorced in 1988. He married Mizuki Matsui in 2020.
On September 15, 2024, Tito Jackson died in Gallup, New Mexico, aged 70. On Instagram, his sons shared the news: “We regret to inform you that our father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson, is no longer with us. with us.” No cause was announced immediately. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills — the same cemetery where Michael rests.
He was the second Jackson sibling to die, and the loss landed heavily on a family still processing Michael’s absence 15 years earlier.
Jermaine Jackson: Talent, Loyalty, and a Complicated Departure
Jermaine La Jaune Jackson was born December 11, 1954 in Gary, Indiana. He was the group’s second lead voice alongside Michael, and his singing on “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” and “I’ll Be There” is as essential to those recordings as anything Michael contributed.
In 1973, he married Hazel Gordy — daughter of Motown founder Berry Gordy. That marriage would become the fault line in the family’s most significant professional rupture.
When the Jackson brothers grew frustrated with Motown’s creative restrictions and royalty arrangements in 1975, they signed with Epic Records. Jermaine did not follow. He stayed at Motown. His stated reason was loyalty to the label. The unstated reason, which many observers noted openly, was that leaving would mean leaving his wife’s father’s company.
Randy replaced him. The group renamed itself The Jacksons. Jermaine pursued his solo career at Motown until 1983, producing top-30 hits including “Do What You Do” and “Let’s Get Serious.” He recorded duets with Whitney Houston on her breakthrough 1985 debut. After seven years apart, he eventually rejoined The Jacksons.
His personal life generated as much coverage as his music. His first marriage to Hazel Gordy ended in 1988. He entered a relationship with Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza — who had previously been with his brother Randy, with whom she had children. He later married her. The family dynamics around that situation were, by any measure, complex.
In late 2025, Jermaine announced plans to establish a Jackson Museum dedicated to Michael’s artistic legacy and the wider family history. In April 2026, he attended the Berlin premiere of the Michael Jackson biopic, in which his son Jaafar plays Michael.
La Toya Jackson: Survivor, Rebel, and Return
La Toya Jackson was born on May 29, 1956 — which is also Rebbie’s birthday. She is the second daughter in the family, and her story is the most fractured of all the siblings.
She began her public career as a singer, releasing albums including La Toya and My Special Love in the 1980s. She appeared in Playboy magazine in 1989. She made frequent television appearances throughout the decade and built a visible entertainment presence.
Then, in 1991, she published a memoir titled La Toya: Growing Up in the Jackson Family, which accused her father Joe of physical and sexual abuse. She gave interviews claiming she had evidence of Michael’s guilt in the child molestation accusations against him. In 1993, she told MTV publicly that she could not remain “a silent collaborator of his crimes against small, innocent children.”
These statements created an irreparable public rupture with her family. Her siblings cut contact. Her mother Katherine was devastated. At the time, La Toya was in a domineering relationship with Jack Gordon, her manager at the time, whom she subsequently accused of abusing her physically and planning her remarks on Michael.
After leaving Gordon, she retracted her statements about Michael and rejoined the family fold. She attended his 2005 trial, supporting him. She was present at his 2009 memorial. She has since maintained her innocence regarding the Gordon era and described herself as a victim of manipulation during those years.
Her later television work includes Celebrity Apprentice and numerous reality projects. She has remained close to the family since her return.
Publicly she was the rebel who turned on her own brother. In private, she described herself as a woman who had no control over what she was saying. The truth of that period — who directed what, who believed what — remains genuinely contested.
Marlon Jackson: The Twin Who Carried a Ghost
Marlon Jackson was born on March 12, 1957 — the surviving twin, though few knew Brandon existed until Marlon chose to name him at Michael’s memorial.
He was a founding member of the Jackson 5, singing background vocals and playing conga and tambourine throughout the group’s run. When the group became The Jacksons in 1976, Marlon remained. In 1987, he put out a single solo album called Baby Tonight. On the Top R&B Albums list, it peaked at position 22.
At Michael’s public memorial on July 7, 2009, Marlon delivered remarks that left the audience in silence. He spoke about his brother as an individual — then asked Michael to greet Brandon when he arrived. “I would like for you to give our brother, my twin brother, Brandon, a hug for me.”
That moment — 52 years after Brandon’s death, delivered in front of the world — was the most unscripted and human moment of an event surrounded by celebrity.
Marlon has remained largely away from the spotlight since. He carried the group’s history with understated consistency.
Randy Jackson: The Business Mind Behind the Beat
Randy Jackson — born October 29, 1961, and not to be confused with the American Idol judge — was too young for the original Jackson 5 lineup. He was three years old when they formed. His first public performance with his brothers came in 1971 at a Christmas concert for blind children. By 1972, he was touring with them on congas.
When the brothers left Motown in 1975 and Jermaine stayed behind, Randy stepped into the vacancy. He officially became a member of The Jacksons and remained through their later years.
His creative contributions included co-writing some of the group’s most admired work. His business instincts took him in a direction few of his siblings chose. In 1998, he purchased and became president of Modern Records. In 2018, he and his sister Janet co-founded Rhythm Nation Records together.
His personal life included a relationship with Alejandra Oaziaza, who later entered a relationship with Jermaine, creating a family dynamic that generated years of awkward public coverage.
Randy has been one of the quieter Jacksons in later decades — present, capable, and genuinely accomplished in the business architecture of music rather than its performance side.
Janet Jackson: The One Who Matched the Legend
Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana — the youngest of Katherine and Joe’s children, and the only sibling who reached a level of commercial achievement that belongs in the same sentence as Michael’s.
At seven years old, she started appearing on The Jacksons variety show. She transitioned to acting, with recurring roles in Good Times, Diff’rent Strokes, and Fame through the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her self-titled debut album arrived in 1982. A second album followed in 1984.
Neither made a significant commercial impact. What changed everything was 1986 and the album Control — which she made after deliberately separating from her father’s management and asserting creative ownership for the first time. The Roots’ Questlove would later describe Control as the catalyst for New Jack Swing. That is not a minor legacy.
The hits accumulated in ways that demand specificity: “Nasty,” “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” “Rhythm Nation,” “That’s the Way Love Goes,” “Together Again,” “All For You.” She holds the record for the most consecutive top-ten entries on the US Billboard Hot 100 by a female artist — 18 in succession. “Together Again” gave her an eighth number-one hit, placing her alongside Diana Ross, the Rolling Stones, and Elton John.
Five Grammy Awards. the 1990 MTV Video Vanguard Award. Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 — following the Jackson 5 in 1997 and Michael as a solo artist in 2001.
The 2004 Super Bowl halftime show with Justin Timberlake — the incident television executives labelled “Nipplegate” — damaged her career in ways she addressed directly in her 2022 documentary. Radio stations pulled her music. She was effectively blacklisted from industry events. Timberlake’s career continued without interruption. The disparity became a case study in gendered accountability that is still discussed today.
She also absorbed the professional fallout from the allegations against Michael. In her documentary, she said plainly: “Guilty by association — that’s what they call it, right?” She supported him through his 2005 trial. She has defended the family’s position while acknowledging what the scrutiny cost her personally.
Her album sales stand at over 100 million records. She remains, at 60, the most commercially successful surviving Jackson sibling — and one of the most influential artists of the last four decades.
The Half-Sibling Nobody Talks About
Joh’Vonnie Jackson was born on August 30, 1974. She is the daughter of Joe Jackson and Cheryl Terrell — a woman Joe was involved with outside his marriage to Katherine for years. The affair and Joh’Vonnie’s existence became public knowledge and caused significant pain within the family.
Joh’Vonnie has spoken in various interviews about her complicated relationship with her half-siblings and about growing up with the awareness of who her father was, and what his public image meant versus her private experience of him.
She is part of the story. She has always been.
What the Family Represents: A Complicated Legacy
The Jackson siblings are not a symbol. They are ten distinct human beings — eleven if you count Brandon — who shared a parents, a home, a surname, and varying degrees of a spotlight they did not all choose equally.
Joe Jackson’s drive produced extraordinary results and caused documented harm. His children have described both the inspiration he provided and the fear he generated. Katherine’s steadiness gave them something to return to. The combination produced artists who changed popular culture — and people who spent decades processing what that family system cost them.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted the Jackson 5 in 1997. Michael entered as a solo artist in 2001. Janet followed in 2019. The group’s first four singles remain the only consecutive debut number-ones in the chart’s history. Over 150 million records sold as a group across their career.
Those are facts. So is the loss: Brandon gone within hours of arriving. Michael died at 50 from acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication. Tito died in September 2024 at 70. Joe in 2018.
Seven siblings remain. The family endures.
Final Words
The Jackson family story is ultimately about what happens when extraordinary talent meets extraordinary pressure — and what each person does with the version of both they inherited.
Rebbie chose motherhood first and music second. Jackie carried the group through every transition. Tito sparked it all with a borrowed guitar. Jermaine stayed where loyalty pulled him. La Toya broke, then returned. Marlon carried a twin he barely knew. Randy built the business after the music slowed. Janet became something the industry had to reckon with on her own terms.
And Michael — Michael became something that none of them, not even he, could fully inhabit.
They all came from the same house on Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana. Where they went from there was entirely their own.
FAQs
1. How many siblings did Michael Jackson have?
Michael had nine siblings: Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Randy, Janet, and Brandon (who died hours after birth in 1957). He also had one half-sibling, Joh’Vonnie Jackson, born in 1974 from their father Joe’s extramarital relationship.
2. Who are Michael Jackson’s siblings in birth order?
In order: Rebbie (1950), Jackie (1951), Tito (1953), Jermaine (1954), La Toya (1956), Marlon (1957), Brandon (1957, died at birth), Michael (1958), Randy (1961), and Janet (1966).
3. How many of Michael Jackson’s siblings are still alive in 2026?
Seven: Rebbie, Jackie, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Randy, and Janet. Michael died June 25, 2009. Tito died September 15, 2024. In 1957, not long after his birth, Brandon passed away.
4. Which of Michael’s siblings were in the Jackson 5?
The original five were Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael. When Jermaine left in 1976 following the label switch from Motown to Epic Records, Randy replaced him and the group rebranded as The Jacksons.
5. What happened to Tito Jackson?
At the age of 70, Tito Jackson passed away in Gallup, New Mexico, on September 15, 2024. On Instagram, his sons made the announcement. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California.
6. What did Janet Jackson achieve in her solo career?
Janet has sold over 100 million records worldwide. She holds the record for the most consecutive top-ten Billboard Hot 100 entries by a female artist (18). She won five Grammys, received the MTV Vanguard Award in 1990, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
7. Why did Jermaine Jackson leave the Jackson 5?
When the group moved from Motown to Epic Records in 1975, Jermaine stayed with Motown. He was married to Hazel Gordy, daughter of Motown founder Berry Gordy — a connection that complicated his decision to leave the label. He publicly cited loyalty to Motown.
8. What did La Toya Jackson say about Michael?
In 1993, during the child molestation allegations against Michael, La Toya publicly stated she could not remain silent about what she believed were his crimes. She later retracted those statements, saying she was in a controlling relationship with her then-manager Jack Gordon and was manipulated into making the claims. The family accepted her return after Gordon was out of her life.
9. Who is Brandon Jackson?
Brandon was Marlon Jackson’s twin brother, born March 12, 1957. He died hours after birth. Marlon referenced him publicly for the first time at Michael’s 2009 memorial, asking Michael to give Brandon a hug on his behalf.
10. What was Rebbie Jackson’s biggest hit?
“Centipede,” the title track of her 1984 debut album. Michael Jackson wrote and produced it. The single sold over a million copies and reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart.
11. Who is Joh’Vonnie Jackson?
Joh’Vonnie Jackson, born August 30, 1974, is the half-sibling of the Jackson children. She is the daughter of Joe Jackson and Cheryl Terrell, a woman Joe had a long-running relationship with outside his marriage to Katherine.
12. What is the Jackson 5’s greatest achievement as a group?
Their first four singles — “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There” — all reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. They remain the only group in music history to achieve this with consecutive debut releases. They sold over 150 million records total and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
13. What was Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl controversy?
At the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, Justin Timberlake briefly exposed Janet’s breast during a performance. The incident — termed “Nipplegate” — led to significant career consequences for Janet, including radio bans and industry blacklisting. Timberlake’s career continued largely unaffected. The disparity in how each was treated became a defining cultural conversation about race and gender in entertainment.
14. Which Jackson sibling acted in the new 2026 biopic about Michael?
The film Michael, released in cinemas on April 24, 2026, stars Jaafar Jackson — the son of Jermaine Jackson — in the title role as Michael Jackson.
15. What is Randy Jackson doing now?
Randy has been active on the business side of music. He became president of Modern Records in 1998 and co-founded Rhythm Nation Records with Janet Jackson in 2018. He remains connected to the family’s ongoing musical ventures.
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