Marlon's Secret Marriage

Today marks the 35th anniversary of Marlon's secret marriage to Carol Parker, a lucky fan who caught Marlon's attention during a concert appearance in New Orleans. Marlon and Carol carried on a secret long-distance relationship for years, and when they married, no one in the Jackson family knew about it -- except maybe for Tito and Dee Dee, with whom Carol had been living prior to the marriage.

So secret was their wedding that Soul didn't find out about it until six months later -- they broke the news in their January 19, 1976 issue. When they called Marlon to corroborate, his response was, "Did you call my office? I have to go by what the office says." But then the Soul reporter got the bright idea of congratulating him on his marriage, and Marlon essentially confirmed the news by replying, "Oh, thank you!"

Of all the brothers, Marlon has had the longest and most stable marriage. Maybe they all should have picked fans out of the audience.