Marlon Jackson is an accomplished American singer, actor, dancer and producer, who is perhaps best known for being a member of the Jackson family’s pop band, the Jackson 5.
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Marlon David Jackson was born under the Pisces zodiac sign on 12 March 1957, in Gary, Indiana, and is 65 years old as of 2022. He is the sixth child of the late ex-boxer and US steelworker, Joe Jackson, and his wife, Katherine Jackson, who worked at Sears. He was brought up in a musical family alongside his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Randy, Michael and Tito, and sisters Janet, La Toya, and Rebbie. Sadly, his twin brother, Brandon Jackson died within one day of their birth – they had been born prematurely.
Marlon went to Cal-prep school, which is situated in Encino, California. He completed his studies in 1975, and hasn’t revealed any other education details.
Career
Musical Career
Marlon partnered with his brothers to create the Jackson 5 together with Steeltown Records’ musician, Gordon Keith, in 1967. They released their first single, “Big Boy,” in the year that followed, and later released three more singles with Steeltown Records before they signed a contract with Motown Records’ singer, Berry Gordy, in 1969. However, the Jackson 5 felt that they were being underpaid by the Motown label, which saw them signing with Epic Records in the mid-70s.
Shortly afterwards, Jermaine left the Jackson 5 and began his solo career with Motown and was replaced by Randy Jackson. Some of the band’s top singles are “The Love You Save,” “ABC,” and “I’ll Be There,” among others. The band later changed its name to The Jacksons and 1985 saw the it performing in the TV special “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever.” Marlon was inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside his brothers in 1997, and four years later, he joined them to perform for Michael’s 30th Anniversary special.
Like Jermaine and Michael Jackson, Marlon began his solo career in 1987, and later released the album “Baby Tonight.” Despite the album reaching position 22 on the US Top R&B Albums chart, Marlon hasn’t released any other albums.
Other Works
Marlon has two credits as a producer; he was the executive producer of the music video “The Jacksons: Can You Feel It” in 1981, and six episodes of the TV Series “The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty” in 2009 and 2010. He was also the writer of the TV special documentary “The Jacksons: America’s First Family of Music”, and has appeared in over 15 music videos.
Marlon founded the American cable TV network, Major Broadcasting Cable (MBC), together with the former professional baseball player Cecil Fielder, broadcast TV star Alvin James, and the heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield – it was available to close to 16 million households, and later renamed Black Family Channel. It featured programming that was specifically aimed at Afro-American audiences, and its schedule included a wide array of programs including sports, religious and children’s programs, talk shows, and many more. Its subscriber base and programming were sold to Gospel Music Channel on 30 April 2007, which is now known as UP TV.
2008 saw Marlon co-founding The Motherland Group, LLC, which became the first African-American-owned firm to bring recognition and awareness to the city of Badagry, Nigeria. He serves as the CEO and president of the company, whose vision is ‘to develop an historical resort for education, travel and tourism. He’s also involved in humanitarian and philanthropic efforts, and in 1990 founded the Direct Community Assistance Program (DCAP), together with his wife Carol, the mission of which is to prepare and distribute meals to homeless people in San Diego every week.
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He’s also involved with Study Peace Foundation, which was founded in 2015 and seeks to promote unity and peace worldwide. It previously partnered with the non-profit organization KaBOOM!, to construct playgrounds in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Gary. Marlon has also worked as a real estate agent, based in southern California.
Personal Life
Marlon met his future wife, Carol Ann Parker, in New Orleans, where he had gone to perform with the Jackson 5. They fell in love instantly, and eventually walked the aisle in August 1975, when he was 18 years old. The couple has welcomed three children: Valencia Caroline Jackson, (born on 18 December 1976), Brittany Shauntee Jackson, (15 April 1978), and Marlon D. Jackson Jr. on 23 September 1981. They have five grandchildren: Valencia’s kids, Noah Laniak (born in 2006) and Sophia Laniak (2007), and Brittany’s children, Phoenix Sanchez (2010), Savanna Bella Sanches (2011), and Summer Blue Sanchez (2014).
Marlon’s family offered their last eulogies for Michael Jackson on 7 July 2009. He broke into tears as he addressed the crowd: ‘You have finished your work here on earth and the Lord has called you to come home to him… I have one request, Michael, I would like for you to give our brother, my twin brother, Brandon, a hug from me. I love you Michael, and I’ll miss you.’
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Marlon is of Afro-American ancestry and has a set of dark brown eyes and black hair. He is 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall and weighs approximately 180lbs (82kgs).
Net Worth
Marlon has become very famous for his involvement with The Jackson 5, but has also earned from his multiple business endeavors, his net worth is approximately $200,000 as of 2022.
Who Was Marlon’s Brother, Michael Jackson?
The late American singer-songwriter and entertainer, Michael Jackson – aka MJ – was born on 29 August 1958. His parents were keen on teaching him and his siblings religious and folk songs, which sparked his interest in music at an early age.
He released his debut album, “Got to be There” in 1972. In 1978, he appeared in the African-American version of the film “The Wizard of Oz” entitled “The Wiz.” Michael later met the acclaimed producer, Quincy Jones, and they worked hand in hand to release his hit album “Off the Wall” also in 1978. He later released the album “Thriller” in 1983 and it became the best seller of all time selling over 40 million copies. His other albums include “Bad” in 1987, and “Dangerous” in 1991. His reputation was enhanced by dynamic live on-stage performances
He was also involved with the humanitarian organization Heal the World, and was later awarded the Humanitarian of The Year trophy and Living Legend Award in 1993 for his philanthropic efforts.
MJ was rocked by several scandals; He was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in 1993, which cost him his endorsement contract with Pepsi, in addition to damaging his reputation. He succumbed to cardiac arrest due to benzodiazepine and propofol intoxication in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, on 25 June 2009, when he was 50 years old.
