Joe Jackson leaves a complicated legacy.
As the patriarch of a family that produced The Jackson 5 - Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael - as well as Randy, La Toya, Rebbie and Janet - he is being celebrated as the architect of a musical dynasty.
But considering the rampant reports of abuse and Jackson’s uncompromising need to be praised as the driving force behind one of the most musically fertile families in pop history also leaves us thinking, success, yes. But at what cost?
Jackson died Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, a couple of days after it was reported he was in the final stages of terminal cancer. He was 89.
One tweet from the account of Michael Jackson, who died nine years ago on June 25, provided a quote from Jackson about the intentions of his father:
"My father did always protect us and that’s no small feat... He looked after our interests in the best ways. He might have made a few mistakes along the way, but he always thought he was doing what was right for his family,” Jackson said in an excerpt from his 1988 “Moonwalk” book.
Michael Jackson’s son, Prince, also offered compliments to his late grandfather in an Instagram post:
Social media tendered a mixed reaction, with artists including R. Kelly and rapper Juicy J praising Joe Jackson’s legacy, and others, such as media personality Piers Morgan noting that Jackson never wavered in his belief that he did what he had to do to give his family “a better life.”
Here is what some others had to say:
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