Janet Jackson rang in her 60th birthday surrounded by music, laughter and the people closest to her.
Image: Instagram.
The iconic Janet Jackson was left feeling loved after celebrating her 60th birthday surrounded by close friends and family.
The legendary singer recently took to social media to share a heartfelt message following the celebrations, thanking fans and loved ones for making the day memorable.
“I’m so grateful for the outpouring of love today. You have all made my 60th so special. Every single post, tribute, and wish touches my heart,” she wrote.
“I thank God for every additional day of life and for putting each of you in it. Wishing you all returned blessings & I look forward to seeing you soon. I love you. ♥️ J."
The birthday celebrations appeared to be an intimate but lively gathering filled with music, dancing and emotional moments.
Videos shared online showed Jackson surrounded by friends and family at a poolside party decorated with balloons while an in-house DJ kept the atmosphere going.
The “Together Again” singer was laughing, dancing and celebrating with guests, including her sisters La Toya Jackson and Rebbie Jackson.
She also wore a birthday sash that read “Sixtylicious” while celebrating the special day.
At one point during the festivities, guests sang “Happy Birthday” to her as she prepared to blow out the candles on a large cake decorated with pictures of the singer throughout different stages of her life and career.
Friends and guests also shared heartfelt speeches and toasts in honour of the music legend.
“We are so blessed to celebrate who God made you and called you to be,” one friend said during the gathering as guests cheered around her.
One of the more touching moments from the celebration came when singer Johnny Gill gave a heartfelt speech in honour of Jackson. While joking about both of them turning 60, he reminded guests about the importance of staying present and appreciating life as it comes.
“First of all, I want to say, Jan, 60 is not a bad place to be. Hold on, hold on, it’s really not that bad. Not at all,” he joked while guests laughed around him.
Gill also playfully teased the singer about their ages before turning reflective about the stage of life they are both in. “We’re both turning 60, but she’s a little older than me,” he joked. “And I respect my elders.”
He continued by speaking about gratitude, ageing and appreciating the present moment.
“You reach this stage of our lives, I don’t feel a day over 30, and I can speak for Jan, I know she don’t either,” he said.
“And it’s a blessing to reach a milestone, but at the end of the day here, I keep saying this to everyone, and we talk about this on the regular, stay in the present. We can’t get back yesterday, we don’t control tomorrow. But if we stay in the now, we don’t rob ourselves of what we really have.”
Gill then looked around at everyone gathered around Jackson before describing the celebration as a reflection of love, friendship and family.
“This is what love looks like. This is what staying in the moment looks like. This is what friendship is, this is what family looks like,” he said.
“And let’s just continue to love on each other. Remember, we got more days behind us than we do in front of us. So let’s just live. And here’s to living, here’s to you.”
The touching speech was met with cheers from guests as Jackson smiled and celebrated alongside the people closest to her.