La Toya Jackson is one of the most recognisable faces in the celebrity world. Sister to Michael, Janet, Jermaine, and the rest of the Jacksons, La Toya followed her successful music career with appearances on several popular television shows, including Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Apprentice.
Alongside her sisters Rebbie and Janet, La Toya appeared with The Jackson 5, who were already major Motown stars, in the variety television series The Jacksons from 1976-1977. The show was La Toya’s first major foray into show business after a stint in college training as a lawyer. In 1980, La Toya released her debut album, and had a hit single with ‘I Feel the Funk’.
After another solo album with a few hits of its own, Jackson found her biggest chart success with Heart Don’t Lie, the album and the title track. La Toya also received a Grammy nomination for the songs she wrote for Jimmy Cliff.
After a turbulent period in the late 80s and 1990s, Jackson returned to the spotlight with an interview on Larry King Live,which became the popular talk show host’s highest-rated episode at that time. VH1 described Jackson as a “role model” for facing and surviving many hardships in life. La Toya’s album Starting Over produced several dance chart hits, with DJs and clubbers taking a particular liking to 2004’s ‘Just Wanna Dance’. In 2009, La Toya appeared as a housemate on Celebrity Big Brother, in one of its most popular seasons. Jackson went onto become the first guest celebrity guest judge on the TV sensation RuPaul’s Drag Race, and starred in her own 2013 reality show Life With La Toya on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network. A true star, La Toya Jackson has established herself as a talented musical performer and a household name celebrity.
