一位伟大的母亲，是杰克逊的生命和灵魂a strong and protective matriarch, was his 'life and soul'

The image of Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, pushing a shopping trolley reportedly loaded with sleeping bags and toys through her local convenience store two days after her son's sudden death was a poignant one.据报道，迈克尔·杰克逊突然死亡之后两天，他的母亲凯瑟琳在当地的便利店里推着装满了睡袋和玩具的购物车，这是一幅令人心酸的画面。

It spoke of a practical woman; a matriarch widely credited as the core strength of her family; a grandmother now facing the prospect in her twilight years of raising her three young grandchildren.这是一个务实的女人，一个被普遍认为是家庭中坚力量的女性族长，一个将在晚年抚养三个年幼孙子的祖母。

But Katherine Jackson, 79, has always shown a remarkable resilience. Born in May 1930 in Alabama, she was afflicted with polio as a child. Her marriage to Joe Jackson in 1949, was difficult. The mother-of-nine has publicly spoken of her pain at discovering he fathered an illegitimate child.但79岁的凯瑟琳·杰克逊总是表现出惊人的韧性。她于1930年5月出生在阿拉巴马，童年时期就遭受了小儿麻痹症的折磨。1949年她与乔·杰克逊结婚，这是一段艰难的婚姻。这位九个孩子的母亲曾公开谈起她发现丈夫有私生子时的痛苦。

When Michael faced trial over child molestation charges she was the only member of the family to sit in court, day after day, until his acquittal.当迈克尔被指控娈童而接受审判时，她是唯一坐在法庭上的家庭成员，一天又一天，直到他被宣判无罪。

And when her daughter, La Toya, threatened to expose family disunity in print, she moved swiftly to protect those close to her by releasing her own memoirs, My Family, to set the record straight, as she saw it.当她的女儿La Toya威胁说要在书中揭露家庭不和时，她迅速出版了自己的回忆录《我的家庭》，以澄清事实，保护那些亲近的人。

It was Katherine, a devout Jehovah's Witness, who first spotted the potential of her boys, and especially the young Michael. Musically gifted, she played several instruments in high school, and encouraged her own family to sing.凯瑟琳作为一名虔诚的耶和华见证会教徒，第一个发现了她的孩子们的潜力，尤其是年幼的迈克尔。她很有音乐天赋，高中时演奏过好几种乐器，还鼓励她的家人唱歌。

Rainy days were spent harmonising in their modest family kitchen in Gary, Indiana. It was she who eventually opened Joe Jackson's eyes to the fact they were extremely talented.在窘困的日子里，他们在印第安纳州盖瑞市简朴的家庭厨房里合奏。是她最终使乔·杰克逊认识到孩子们才华横溢的事实。

From then on, he was to become the driving force behind the Jackson 5. Katherine contented herself with designing their stage outfits.从那时起，他就成了杰克逊五兄弟组合背后的推动力量；而凯瑟琳则满足于为他们设计演出服装。

Katherine has rarely sought the limelight. The few interviews she has given have always been motivated by a mother's instinct to protect. She angrily denied rumours Michael was gay, or that he had completely remodelled his face. "Only his nose," she insisted.凯瑟琳很少成为众人注目的焦点。她接受的少数几次采访都是出于一位母亲的保护本能。她生气地否认迈克尔是同性恋或者彻底整过容的谣言。“只有他的鼻子（整过容）。”她坚持说。

All of her children have spoken of her remarkable strength. "Besides my mother's beauty and her smarts, what I always wanted was her strength," her daughter Janet once said. Michael referred to her as his "life and soul".她所有的孩子都称赞她惊人的顽强。“除了母亲的美丽和聪慧，我一直希望拥有的就是她的顽强。”她的女儿珍妮特曾经说。迈克尔把母亲称为他的“生命和灵魂”。

There may yet be a custody battle over his children, Michael Joseph "Prince" Jackson Jr, 12, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11, and Prince Michael II Jackson, 7. They are said to have asked to stay with their grandmother, to whom they are close.可能还会有一场对迈克尔孩子监护权的争夺战。他的三个孩子分别是12岁的“王子”小迈克尔·约瑟夫·杰克逊，11岁的帕里斯·凯瑟琳·杰克逊和7岁的“王子二世”小迈克尔·杰克逊。据说他们曾要求和关系亲密的祖母住在一起。