Rebbie Jackson Went against Her Father to Marry Nathaniel Brown

Singer Rebbie Jackson and her late husband, Nathaniel Brown, were madly in love with each other.

They cherished every moment of their marital life as husband and wife, and as parents to their three children: son Austin Brown, and daughters, Stacee Brown and Yashi Brown.

That said, their relationship, especially marriage, didn't happen easily.

Rebbie Jackson Fought For Nathaniel Brown

Jackson is the daughter of Joseph Walter "Joe" and Katherine Esther — eldest of her parents' 10 children. 

And yes, she is the sister of "King of Pop" Michael Jackson. So, besides the late singer-songwriter, her other siblings are Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Brandon (d. March 12, 1957), Randy, and Janet.

Here comes the twist!

Jackson, the eldest child of the Jackson family of musicians, was in a relationship with her former husband from a very young age.

An old picture of Rebbie Jackson and her late husband, Nathaniel Brown. (Photo: Instagram)

According to Jel Jones's book on Michael, Michael Jackson Rocked the World and Lives Forever, the 'Centipede' singer met Brown when she was 11-year-old.

She eventually announced that she wanted to marry her childhood love when she was 18-year-old in 1968.

She went on to reveal her feelings for her then-boyfriend, proclaiming she wanted to move to Kentucky and spend the rest of her life together with him.

While Jackson's mother prompted her daughter to proceed, feeling that being a wife and mother were important roles for her daughters, the decision didn't sit well with the singer's father. 

That also created a division in the Jackson family.

Her father, Joe, who passed away on June 27, 2018, was against the marriage reportedly because he wanted his eldest daughter to follow in her brothers' footsteps and become a singer, too.

However, he, at the time, felt that his daughter getting married to Brown would limit her opportunities to shine in the entertainment business.

Meanwhile, she had attended clarinet, piano, and dance classes during her childhood, but possessed no interest in a music career. She reportedly had also won several singing contests dueting with Jackie.

The now-famed singer fought for her love for weeks until her father finally came around and allowed Rebbie to marry Brown. But he refused to walk her down the aisle.

Rebbie Jackson and Nathaniel Brown then got married on November 30, 1968 — and moved to Kentucky together to start their family.

Nathaniel Brown Passed Away in 2013

The singer's life trembled when her longtime husband, Brown, who had also served as her road manager, passed away on January 6, 2013. He reportedly died of cancer.

Jackson and Brown were married for 44 years when Brown passed away.

"I love you Dad...Thank you for showing me unconditional love and the example of being a good person ... Thank you all for the amazing love you have been giving me and my family," the couple's eldest son, Austin, wrote at the time on Twitter.

Similarly, on June 22, 2020, he took to Instagram to express the family's love for the departed soul. He wrote, "We miss u pop," sharing Brown's old picture.

The Jackson family is similarly spotted paying tribute to Brown regularly.