Jermaine LaJuane Jackson<!-- Do NOT change "Jacksun" to "Jackson". The source explicitly says he changed his surname to Jacksun. --> (né Jackson, later Muhammad Abdul-Aziz Sharif; born December 11, 1954) is an American singer and actor. A member of the Jackson family, he was second vocalist after his brother Michael of the Jackson 5 from 1964 to 1975, and played bass guitar. In 1983, he rejoined the group, which had been renamed the Jacksons; he then consistently played in the group's performances and recordings until he left the group again in 2020.
While Jermaine did not usually sing the lead vocal on the Jackson 5's biggest hits, he is featured on "I'll Be There" and "I Want You Back", among others. When four of the brothers left Motown Records for Epic Records in 1976 (having to rename the family act "the Jacksons" in the process), Jackson, who had just married Motown founder Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel, stayed at Motown. He was replaced in the Jacksons by his youngest brother, Randy. Jermaine had a solo career concurrent with his brother Michael's, including some top-30 hits, until the 1980s. He produced and recorded duets with Whitney Houston on her debut album in 1985, and was a producer for the band Switch. After seven years outside the group he rejoined the Jacksons and remained until 2020 through various breakups and reunions.
Early life
Jermaine LaJuane Jackson was born December 11, 1954, at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana, the fourth child of Joseph and Katherine Jackson. Jackson's father, Joe, had musical ambitions and played guitar with his brother Luther in an R&B group, the Falcons, while his mother, Katherine, a devout Jehovah's Witness, was an enthusiastic pianist and singer. Joe began rehearsing his sons under a strict routine after recognizing their potential, viewing their talent as a path out of Gary. Jackson continued to sing occasional lead vocals over the years.
Career
The Jackson 5
thumb|right|Jermaine (top left) and his brothers in 1974
Jackson and his brothers first signed as the Jackson 5 with Gordon Keith of Steeltown Records in November 1967, and their first single "Big Boy", was released on January 31, 1968. After the group recorded three more songs with the Steeltown label (on two records) they were signed with Berry Gordy of Motown Records in 1969. However, Jackson decided to stay with Motown Records, citing loyalty to the company as the reason. Others argue that Jackson's marriage to Motown founder Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel, whom he married in 1973, was a deciding factor. After the success of the broadcast, Jackson finally rejoined the band to record the album Victory which featured all six brothers on the album cover. He also performed this song alone on January 14, 1990, in Atlanta, in tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., during King Week 90 '. In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Jackson 5. In 2001, he reunited with his brothers to perform for the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration. He was voiced by Joel Cooper on the 1971-1972 animated series Jackson 5ive and played by Colin Steele and his son Jermaine Jr. in the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream and by Jamal R. Henderson and Jayden Harville in the 2026 film Michael.
Solo career
Like Michael, Jackson began a solo career while still a member of the Jackson 5, and had a hit with the 1972 Shep and the Limelites cover "Daddy's Home" on his debut album Jermaine. It sold over one million copies by March 1973 and was awarded a gold disc. When the Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975, Jackson left the group and stayed at the label until 1983; Jermaine then signed with Clive Davis' label, Arista Records, that same year. He finally rejoined his brothers for the Motown 25 television special, and their album Victory the following year. Later that same year, he contributed "(Closest Thing To) Perfect" to the motion picture Perfect, which reached number 67 in the U.S. In a promotional music video made during the film's production, Jackson was featured along with the film's stars John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis. His final chart success, 1989's "Don't Take It Personal" from the album of the same name, hit number one on the R&B singles chart. Jackson was the executive producer of The Jackson Family Honors concert televised from the MGM Grand on February 22, 1994. On May 19, 2003, he performed "Let's Start Right Now" live on the talk show The View.
Jackson is proficient on the electric guitar and is a talented bass guitar player. Jackson also composed and produced for other artists, such as Switch and he produced and sang duets on Whitney Houston's debut album for Arista Records. Jackson was part of the second season of the CMT reality show Gone Country. On the premiere episode of season three of the ABC reality show Celebrity Wife Swap on April 15, 2014, Jackson and his wife Halima swapped places with Daniel Baldwin and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Isabella Hofmann.
Later work
thumb|right|Jackson in 2007
In April 2007, Jackson returned to the UK to take part in a one-off special of ITV's Challenge Anneka. On the same trip, he appeared in Glasgow with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking in support of Searchlight magazine's anti racism campaign, the Daily Mirror "Hope Not Hate Bus".
On November 23, 2007, Jackson appeared on Katie & Peter: Unleashed and again talked of a reunion with his brothers on a tour the following year. In 2008, Jackson flew to Australia to be a guest judge and mentor for the top-five Michael Jackson night on Australian Idol season 6. In March 2008, Jackson was the guest of honor at the Muslim Writers Awards in Birmingham. In 2009, following his brother Michael's passing, Jackson appeared on the A&E television series The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, documenting what was supposed to be a 40th-anniversary reunion between Jackson and his brothers. The series lasted one season and Jackson, along with his three brothers, was listed as an executive producer. He wrote the memoir You Are Not Alone: Michael Through a Brother's Eyes (2011).
In a 2012 interview with Luka Neskovic, for The Huffington Post, Jackson said that his brother Michael planned a reunion with him: "... the plan was to do some shows with the brothers, as well, after he finished his commitment with the This Is It [concert], and we probably gonna do some songs with him on the This Is It tour". In October 2012, Jackson released I Wish You L.O.V.E, his first solo album in 21 years, consisting mostly of jazz covers. The album was arranged and produced by French opera singer David Serero, who recorded a duet on "Autumn Leaves" with Jackson, and was released by David Serero Productions. They both performed You Are Not Alone: The Musical, written, directed and produced by Serero, in France in January 2013. The following year, You Are Not Alone: The Musical Live was released on video and audio.
Personal life
Jackson has been married and divorced three times, and has seven children. They were married from 1973 to 1988. They had three children; Jermaine La Jaune "Jay" Jackson Jr. (born 1977), Autumn Joi Jackson (born 1978), and Jaimy Jermaine Jackson (born 1987). Jackson was in a relationship with Margaret Maldonado from 1986 until 1993. They had two sons, Jeremy Maldonado Jackson (born 1986) and Jourdynn Michael Jackson (born 1989). Rashid was arrested in 2015 in Los Angeles for alleged domestic violence. She filed a petition for divorce in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.
Jackson supported his brother Michael during his 2005 trial. He defended him on CNN's Larry King Live and appeared with him in court on multiple occasions. Jackson announced his brother's death on June 25, 2009, at a press conference at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He thanked those who attended Michael's memorial at the Staples Center, on July 7, 2009. Jackson and his brothers, Tito, Jackie, Marlon, and Randy served as pallbearers, wearing gold neckties, a single white glove, and sunglasses.
Jackson, like the rest of his family, was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. In 1989, he converted to Islam after a trip to Bahrain, where he was struck by the devotion of local children to their religion. Upon converting, he took the name Muhammad Abdul‑Aziz Sharif but continued to use his birth name. In 2013, he changed his first name back to Jermaine and modified his surname to Jacksun.
On December 27, 2023, a lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by a woman who alleged Jackson sexually assaulted her after forcing himself into her home in 1988. The woman, identified as Rita Barrett, also alleged Motown Records owner Berry Gordy helped conceal the abuse. In May 2026, court records cited by TMZ show that a default judgment was entered requiring Jackson to pay Barrett more than $6.5 million in damages and costs.
Discography
- Jermaine (1972)
- Come into My Life (1973)
- My Name Is Jermaine (1976)
- Feel the Fire (1977)
- Frontiers (1978)
- Let's Get Serious (1980)
- Jermaine (1980)
- I Like Your Style (1981)
- Let Me Tickle Your Fancy (1982)
- Dynamite (1984)
- Precious Moments (1986)
- Don't Take It Personal (1989)
- You Said (1991)
- I Wish You L.O.V.E (2012)
- You Are Not Alone: The Musical Live (2014)
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Film and television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1969
|The Hollywood Palace
| rowspan="17" |Himself
|Episode: "7.2"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1970
|The Andy Williams Show
|Episode: "The Jackson 5, Ken Berry, Carl Ballantine, Rosey Grier, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66"
|-
|The Jim Nabors Hour
|Episode: "The Jackson 5"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1971
|Diana!
|Television special
|-
|Goin' Back to Indiana
|Television special
|-
|1971–1972
|The Flip Wilson Show
|2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" |1972
|The ABC Comedy Hour
|Episode: "Hellzapoppin"
|-
|The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
|Episode: "3.1"
|-
|The Jackson 5 Show
|Television special
|-
| rowspan="2" |1973
|Save the Children
|Concert film
|-
|The Bob Hope Show
|Episode: "Ann-Margret, John Denver, Bobby Riggs, The Jackson 5"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1974
|One More Time
|Television special
|-
|The Sonny Comedy Revue
|Episode: "Sally Struthers, Howard Cosell, The Jackson 5"
|-
|Sandy in Disneyland
|Television special
|-
|1974–1975
|The Carol Burnett Show
|2 episodes
|-
|1975
|Cher
|Episode: "1.6"
|-
| 1982 || The Facts of Life || Episode: "Starstruck"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1984 || Voyage of the Rock Aliens || Rain ||
|-
| As the World Turns || Concert Performer ||Episode: "Cinderella Concert"
|-
|1985
|Cocoricocoboy
|Himself
|Episode: "February 6, 1985"
|-
|1992
|The Jacksons: American Dreams
| rowspan="2" | —
|Producer
|-
|1994
|The Jackson Family Honors
|Executive producer
|-
|2001
|Longshot
| rowspan="4" |Himself
|
|-
| 2007 || Celebrity Big Brother||30 episodes
|-
| 2008 || Gone Country || 7 episodes
|-
|2009
|The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty
|Executive producer
|-
| 2013 || You Are Not Alone, the Musical || Singer || Credited as Jermaine Jacksun
|-
| 2014 || Celebrity Wife Swap || Himself || Episode: "Daniel Baldwin/Jermaine Jackson"
|-
|2026
|Michael
| —
|Executive producer
|}
Tours
- Precious Moments Tour (1986)
- Jermaine Jackson Australian Tour (1987–88)