In the spotlight since he was a child, Michael Jackson was the most successful entertainer of all time. Few would question his talent or influence on pop culture, but tales of odd behaviour, his strange appearance thanks to numerous cosmetic operations and allegations of child sex abuse increasingly made him an object of ridicule and contempt in the later years of his career. Jackson left huge debts, but the Michael Jackson industry has become lucrative after his death. The siblings contesting his will have insisted it is not about the money, but about fighting for the best interests of Michael’s children. Jackson’s life was characterised by scrutiny and scandal – not much has changed. Photograph: Joel Ryan/AP
Prince, 15, and Paris, 14, were born to Jackson’s second wife Debbie Rowe; their brother, Blanket, now 10, was born in 2002 to an unnamed mother. Their father would cover the children’s faces with masks in public to protect their identities, but since his death they seem remarkably at ease with their high profiles – both Prince and Paris are keen Twitter users, and all three appeared on stage at the Grammys to accept an award on behalf of their father. Photograph: Lester Cohen/WireImage
If Joseph Jackson is the controlling disciplinarian who masterminded his children’s showbusiness careers, Katherine is portrayed as the loving support who kept everyone together. The 82-year-old Jackson matriarch grew up in Alabama, meeting Joe as a teenager and marrying him in 1949. A year later, Rebbie, the first of their 10 children, was born (Marlon’s twin, Brandon, died shortly after birth). Although she has kept a lower profile than Joe, she published a book about her family in 1990 and publicly supported Michael through the allegations against him. She has been the guardian of his children since August 2009. Photograph: STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images
Michael’s nephew TJ was appointed temporary guardian of Prince, Paris and Blanket by superior court Judge Mitchell Beckloff, who commented: “They have a very significant relationship with TJ Jackson and they love him very much.” TJ is the youngest of Tito Jackson’s three sons – he is in a band with his brothers called 3T, which has had some success in Europe. TJ, 34 and married with three children of his own, is reported to have overseen the everyday lives of Jackson’s three children since the singer’s death. Photograph: Tim Alban/Getty Images
The only other Jackson to maintain a successful recording career, Janet has sold more than 100m records, and is frequently cited as an inspiration for other artists including Beyoncé and Rihanna. The youngest of the siblings, she managed to retain her credibility throughout the time when the family, particularly Michael, was embroiled in scandals. Her later albums haven’t had the same critical and commercial appeal of her late-80s peak. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
At 62, Rebbie is the oldest of the nine Jackson siblings. Also involved in the music industry, she announced last year that she was working on an album. Photograph: David Fisher/Rex Features
After finding fame with the Jackson 5, Marlon went on to become an estate agent, while Jackie runs a record label. Tito embarked on solo projects that included managing his sons’ band. LaToya hasn’t had such a low profile. Jack Gordon took on management of LaToya’s solo music career from her father, and she has described the decade they were together – they were married – as one filled with violence and threats. She blames him for her bankruptcy in the mid 90s, forcing her to pose naked for Playboy and then tour strip clubs, her estrangement from her family and for encouraging her to cast doubt on her brother’s claims he was innocent of child molestation. After she divorced Gordon, she reunited with her family and her career these days revolves mainly around reality television shows. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Jermaine had a number of hits in the 70s and 80s, but is more recently known in the UK for his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother. "Little" Randy Jackson is the second youngest Jackson sibling. He released one album with his band Randy & The Gypsys.
[This article was amended on 15 August 2012. The original stated that Randy Jackson is a judge on American Idol, when in fact that is another person of the same name. This has been corrected.] Photograph: Kevin Mazur/MJ Memorial/WireImage
