Latoya Jackson
| La Toya Jackson | |
|---|---|
Jackson in 2011
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| Born |
La Toya Yvonne Jackson May 29, 1956 Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
| Other names |
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse(s) | Jack Gordon (m. 1989; div. 1997) |
| Partner(s) |
Bobby DeBarge (1977–1982) |
| Children | Oche Jackson |
| Relatives | see Jackson Family |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956) is an American singer and songwriter. Jackson is the fifth child of the Jackson family. Jackson maintained a career as a singer throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and returned to music in 2004 with her Billboard charting songs "Just Wanna Dance" and "Free the World". An EP called Starting Over was released on June 21, 2011.
In 2013, Jackson began the reality television series Life with La Toya, documenting her life and career on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) which aired for two seasons until 2014.
Born on her sister Rebbie's 6th birthday on May 29, 1956, in Gary, Indiana, La Toya Jackson is the fifth of ten children born to Joseph Jackson and Katherine Jackson and the middle female child between Rebbie and Janet. Growing up, La Toya was a shy homebody. After her mother became a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses in 1965, La Toya, along with the rest of her siblings followed. She would spend some of her time (alongside her mother) preaching door-to-door. "Every morning, Michael and I witnessed, knocking on doors around Los Angeles, spreading the word of Jehovah." By 1972, at sixteen, La Toya joined her brothers in the spotlight with a tap dancing routine when her father arranged for them to perform shows in Las Vegas, among other cities. La Toya attended the Cal-Prep school in Encino, Los Angeles CA and graduated in 1975. Jackson aspired to be an attorney specializing in business law. She attended college for a short time before her father insisted that she pursue a career in show business like the rest of the family.
In 1976 and 1977, La Toya and her sisters Rebbie and Janet appeared in all twelve episodes of The Jacksons—a CBS-TV variety program, with their brothers Jackie, Tito, Marlon, Michael, and Randy. Along with their brothers (minus Jermaine, who stayed at Motown and left the family group when his brothers moved to Epic Records), La Toya and her sisters sang, danced and performed skits. In 1978 during the filming of The Wiz, La Toya traveled with her brother Michael (who was cast as the Scarecrow), to New York. Sharing an apartment, it was the first time either of them had lived elsewhere as adults. Close siblings, Michael and La Toya, would not move out of the family's Encino, Los Angeles, California home until they were 30 and 31 respectively. Her lovers during this period included Diana Ross' brother Chico and a young David Gest. Jackson also dated Bobby DeBarge and was the inspiration for Switch's 1979 hit "I Call Your Name".
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