 Maureen <unk> " Rebbie " Jackson was born in Gary , Indiana , to a working @-@ class family on May 29 , 1950 . The daughter of Joseph Walter " Joe " and Katherine Esther ( née <unk> ) , she is the eldest of their ten children . Her siblings are Jackie , Tito , Jermaine , La Toya , Brandon ( d . March 12 , 1957 ) , Marlon , Michael ( d . June 25 , 2009 ) , Randy , and Janet . Joseph was a steel mill employee who often performed in a rhythm and blues ( R & B ) band called The Falcons with his brother , Luther . His wife , Katherine , is a <unk> 's Witness and raised her children to follow the religion . Rebbie , La Toya , and Michael became the most devout of the children as time progressed . Reflecting on her early life , Rebbie acknowledged in a 1980s magazine interview that her role within the family had been that of a " second mother " to her younger siblings , whom she would often <unk> . She also <unk> from Theodore Roosevelt High school in Gary IN in 1968 
