Following the death of Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson late last month, Janet Jackson has opened up about her father's passing.
While performing at Essence Fest in New Orleans on Sunday (July 8), Jackson delivered a heartfelt speech about her father's passing, telling the crowd, "It was really hard for me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to move forward, if I should cancel this festival or the entire tour."
Jackson added, "He was so strong, and without his drive, his strength... we wouldn't have this success. We are a black family that came from Indiana and we broke all kinds of records around the globe. That's truth."
She also further addressed the decision to continue on with her tour despite her father's recent death. She told the crowd that her brother asked her what she thought Joe Jackson would have wanted, and she said he would tell her to "finish what [she'd] started."
You can watch Janet Jackson deliver her entire message to the crowd in the fan-captured video below.
As previously reported, Joe Jackson died at the age of 89 on June 27. He had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer before his passing. While he was most famous for launching his family band the Jackson 5, he also managed his children Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson when they launched solo careers.
While performing at Essence Fest in New Orleans on Sunday (July 8), Jackson delivered a heartfelt speech about her father's passing, telling the crowd, "It was really hard for me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to move forward, if I should cancel this festival or the entire tour."
Jackson added, "He was so strong, and without his drive, his strength... we wouldn't have this success. We are a black family that came from Indiana and we broke all kinds of records around the globe. That's truth."
She also further addressed the decision to continue on with her tour despite her father's recent death. She told the crowd that her brother asked her what she thought Joe Jackson would have wanted, and she said he would tell her to "finish what [she'd] started."
You can watch Janet Jackson deliver her entire message to the crowd in the fan-captured video below.
Janet jackson talks about her fathers deathhttps://t.co/Tbv54WtTmI pic.twitter.com/Yz2RKOjFJR
— Michael Jackson CLUB (@mjjsource_) July 9, 2018
As previously reported, Joe Jackson died at the age of 89 on June 27. He had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer before his passing. While he was most famous for launching his family band the Jackson 5, he also managed his children Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson when they launched solo careers.