Michael Jackson
the eighth of ten children in an African-American working-class
family who lived in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street in
Gary, Indiana, an industrial city and a part of the Chicago
metropolitan area.His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a
devout Jehovah's Witness. She once aspired to be a country-
and-western performer who played clarinet and piano, but
worked part-time at Sears to help support the family. His father,
Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, a former boxer, was a steelworker
at U.S. Steel. Joe also performed on guitar with a local rhythm
and blues band called the Falcons to supplement the family's
household income. Michael grew up with three sisters (Rebbie,
La Toya, and Janet) and five brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine,
Marlon, and Randy). A sixth brother, Marlon's elder twin
Brandon, died shortly after birth.
Death and memorial
· On June 25, 2009, Jackson died while lying in his bed at his
annaabi.ee 
