Janet Jackson revisits Gary for the first time since she was 8

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Janet Jackson (center) and brother Randy (left) are followed by a video crew as they leave their childhood home in Gary, Indiana, on Oct. 27, 2017. | John J. Watkins/The Times via AP

Singer Janet Jackson and her brother Randy Jackson have visited their childhood home in Gary, Indiana, and talked with local high school students.

The (Northwest Indiana) Timesreports that the Jacksons made the visit Friday, a day after Janet Jackson’s concert in the Chicago area. Janet Jackson told students at Roosevelt High School that she started crying when she saw the small house. She said, “Me and my family are so blessed. I’m so thankful.”

The 51-year-old said she was 8 years old the last time she was in Gary. The family moved out of the industrial city about 30 miles southwest of Chicago after the Jackson 5 recorded their first album in 1969, when Janet Jackson was a toddler.

She also told students she misses performing with her siblings.


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