The Jacksons: first family of pop and scandal
Romain Raynaldy
LOS ANGELES, Romain Raynaldy - Michael Jackson's family will gather for a sober farewell to the musical icon here Thursday, a low-key finale to a life lived in the public spotlight and often tinged by lurid headlines.
From the "King of Pop's" child molestation trial to his sister Janet Jackson's nationally exposed breast, pop music's first family has never stayed far from scandal.
Born with humble means in the decaying industrial city of Gary, Indiana, the Jackson family was raised with an iron fist by patriarch Joe Jackson who was determined to turn his children into a musical sensation.
But the rivalries quickly became apparent, particularly as the young Michael's solo career soared.
Michael Jackson, who died from an overdose of prescription drugs on June 25 age 50, still claims the best-selling album of all time, 1982's "Thriller."
In 1991, La Toya Jackson, one of Michael's three sisters, became the first to go public with her grievances. In an autobiography, "La Toya: Growing Up in the Jackson Family," she alleged that Joe Jackson abused them as children, charges that tore apart the family.
Few doubted that Joe Jackson was strict and stubborn; Michael Jackson spoke publicly about his father's harsh disciplinary streak in a 1993 interview with talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey.
But La Toya also alleged that Joe Jackson's abuse was sexual, targeting both her and sister Rebbie. However, Rebbie denied any such abuse.
La Toya further estranged herself from the family by twice posing naked for Playboy magazine and, in 1993, backing claims that her brother Michael molested children.
She later apologized for her actions and tried to reconcile with the family, saying that she was being manipulated by then-husband and manager Jack Gordon.
But at the same time Michael's own behavior grew increasingly eccentric and controversial. In 2005, he was acquitted on charges of sexually molesting a boy after a trial that gripped much of the United States and later sent the superstar fleeing to relative anonymity in Bahrain.
While La Toya and Michael have been the most controversial of the Jackson siblings -- Michael earning the nickname "Wacko Jacko" -- the baby of the family, Janet Jackson, has hardly escaped scandal.
With multimillion-dollar record deals, secret weddings and spectacular gains and losses of weight, Janet Jackson has been the only member of the Jackson family to rival her brother -- both in success and media interest.
In February 2004, Janet Jackson was performing during the halftime show of the Super Bowl when around 90 million viewers caught a peek of her right breast for a fraction of a second.
Jackson, who was performing in a carefully choreographed dance with fellow pop star Justin Timberlake, famously said that she had a "wardrobe malfunction" that exposed her breast, in which she has a nipple ring.
The Federal Communications Commission imposed a 550,000-dollar fine on CBS television for breaking indecency rules. The matter has gone all the way to the US Supreme Court, which last month ordered a federal appeals court to re-examine its verdict siding with CBS.
But Michael Jackson's death has brought the siblings together, even if momentarily. The Jackson family appeared on stage together at a July 7 memorial service at the Staples Center, where a tearful tribute from Jackson's daughter Paris, 11, was the defining image.
"Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much," Paris said, before dissolving into tears and retreating into the comforting arms of her relatives.
Jackson's three children are now living with their grandmother, Katherine Jackson, after a custody agreement involving the singer's ex-wife Debbie Rowe was reached last month.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------