Janet Jackson removed herself from the spotlight after her brother
Michael Jackson passed away, but tonight at the MTV VMA's in New York, she gave her beloved brother the ultimate tribute.
Madonna walked onto a dark stage and took the mic and gave one of the most heart warming speeches about Michael and his fame before Janet and the dancers took the stage.
She said,
"Michael Jackson was born in August 1958. So was I. Michael Jackson grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest. So did I. Michael Jackson had eight brothers and sisters. So do I. When Michael Jackson was 6, he became a superstar and was perhaps the world's most beloved child. When I was 6, my mother died. I think he got the shorter end of the stick.
"I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood," she went on. "And when you never get to have something, you become obsessed by it. I spent my childhood searching for my mother figures. Sometimes I was successful. But how do you re-create your childhood when you are under the magnifying glass of the world for your entire life? There is no question that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest talents the world has ever known."
"When I first heard that Michael had died, I was in London, days away from the opening of my tour. Michael was going to perform in the same venue as me a week later. All I could think about in that moment was I had abandoned him. That we had abandoned him. That we had allowed this magnificent creature that once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks.
"While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career, we were all busy passing judgment. Most of us had turned our backs on him. ... In a desperate attempt to hold on to his memory, I went on the Internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and onstage, and I thought, 'My God, he was so unique, so original, so rare.' And there will never be anyone like him again. He was a king."
Janet and a group of dance choreographers, including Dave Scott, Cris Judd, Brian Friedman, Wade Robson, Tyce Diorio, Travis Payne, Jeri Slaughter, Laurie Ann Gibson, Mia Michaels and Tina Landon and Ty from
So You Think You Can Dance, who collectively have worked with Janet and MJ then took the stage and performed Michael's hit 'Thriller' and other dances as a tribute to MJ. It was a wonderful introduction to an amazing tribute...a tribute to a King.
Check out the special tribute video below...
