Janet Jackson made her first public appearance since the passing of her brother, Michael, at the 9th Annual BET Awards on Sunday.
A grief-stricken Janet was brought on stage by host Jamie Foxx. She appeared in all white and spoke a few words.
“My entire family wanted to be here tonight but it was too painful. To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in our hearts. On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for your love and support. We miss him so much. Thank you so much.”
Foxx and Ne-Yo closed the show with a rendition of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.” New Edition opened with a medley of Jackson 5 songs and Ne-Yo sang “Lady in My Life.”
The King of Pop’s father, Joe Jackson, also made an appearance at the show, which was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
