Janet Jacksonhad nothing but praise for her father,Joe Jackson, on Friday.
During her speech, Janet spoke about Joe’s influence on her career. Her words came as news broke that Joe — the music manager and father of 11, including the lateMichael Jackson—has been hospitalized with terminal pancreatic cancer.
“My mother nourished me with the most extravagant love imaginable, my father, my incredible father, drove me to be the best that I can,” she added. “My siblings set an incredibly high standard for artistic excellence… Sometimes, having an impact can be as simple as a smile, a handshake, or a hug.”
Steve Granitz/WireImage; Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
The 89-year-old Jackson family patriarch has been battling the illness “for some time,” TMZ reported on Friday, but is “at the end stages” and the “cancer cannot be treated.”
Family members, including Joe’s 88-year-old wifeKatherine Jackson, have been at his bedside, sources told TMZ. Jackson’s children and grandchildren have also made visits.
Reps for Jackson, as well as various Jackson relatives, did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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“You are the example of art, you are the Goddess of performance,” Symoné, 32, said in her introduction. “You have never let us down…. Thank you, Queen!”
Asked on the red carpet what it means to present Janet with the award, Symoné said that she was “indebted” to the “Miss You Much” songstress:
“Listen, there are a handful of people in this industry that have started as young as myself, or her, and that have lasted that long with a career that you can be proud of with a career that is always pushing entertainment to the next level,” Symoné said of Janet. “There is an elegance, there is a genuine [aspect] that her and her family ooze out of their system. And that is why I am indebted to her, because there are not a lot of role models for people like me, and she is one of them.”
source: people.com
