The father and driving force of one of the most popular family singing groups ever has died.

Joe Jackson, 89, had been suffering from cancer.

Struggling to support nine children with wife Katherine in a two-bedroom house in Gary, Indiana, he helped five sons land a record contract with Motown.

The Jackson Five topped the charts with each of their first four singles in 1970-71:  ”I Want You Back,” ”ABC,” ”The Love You Save,” and ”I’ll Be There.”

More hits followed and the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Michael Jackson had said his father’s demands for perfection crossed over into abuse and that he beat him. 

”Yes, he did.  He was very strict, but I do love him,” Jackson said in a 1993 interview.

Following Michael’s death in 2009, his father said the two were close.