1.2114758-1904742097
Randy and Janet Jackson are followed by a video crew as they leave their old home at 2300 Jackson St. in Gary, Indiana. They were in town following Janet's concert appearance near Chicago the day before. Image Credit: AP

Singer Janet Jackson and her brother Randy Jackson have visited their childhood home in Gary, Indiana, and talked with local high school students.

The Northwest Indiana Times reports that the Jacksons made the visit on Friday, a day after Janet’s concert in the Chicago area. Janet told students at Roosevelt High School that she started crying when she saw the small house. She said, “me and my family are so blessed. I’m so thankful.”

The 51-year-old said she was eight-years-old the last time she was in Gary. The family moved out of the industrial city about 50 kilometres southwest of Chicago after the Jackson 5 recorded their first album in 1969, when Janet was a toddler.

She also told students she misses performing with her siblings.