Janet Jackson's Road to Starting a Family
— -- It was a long road getting there, but it looks like Janet Jackson is finally close to becoming a mom.
"My husband and I are planning our family," she said ecstatically in a video posted to Twitter today.
Jackson went on to say, "I have to rest up, doctor's orders," while explaining that she would be postponing the second leg of her "Unbreakable" world tour indefinitely.
What Jackson, who turns 50 next month, didn't say was whether she and her husband, Qatari business magnate Wissam Al Mana, 41, were already expecting, were trying to start a family or were in the process of adopting a child.
Either way, it hasn't been easy getting to this point. Here's a look back at Jackson's road to starting a family.
1984
The youngest of the famous Jackson clan, Janet Jackson eloped with singer James DeBarge, of the singing family group DeBarge, in 1984, when she was just 18. The marriage lasted only three months and was annulled the following year.
1991
Jackson met Mexican-born Rene Elizondo in the mid-1980s when he was a back-up dancer for her older sister Latoya Jackson. Elizondo and Jackson secretly wed in 1991 and managed to keep their marriage a secret for the next eight years. Meanwhile, Elizondo directed several of Jackson's music videos and was a songwriter for "The Velvet Rope." He also appears in one of her music videos, and it's his hands covering her breasts in the famous topless photo on the cover of Rolling Stone, which was later used for the cover of her album "Janet."
1999
When their relationship broke down, Elizondo filed for divorce, taking their private marriage public. He also sued Jackson for millions of dollars in spousal support, finally reaching a settlement three years later.
2012
Jackson surprised the world again by secretly marrying billionaire businessman Wissam Al Mana in 2012. It wasn't until a year later that the news went public, when the singer posted a statement on her website saying the couple had tied the knot in a "quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony."
"Our wedding gifts to one another were contributions to our respective favorite children's charities," she said, closing the note, "With love, Wissam and Janet."
2015
Last December, Jackson announced that she was postponing her "Unbreakable" tour until the spring to have an unspecified surgical procedure. Calling it a "difficult time," she asked her fans to "please pray for me." Two weeks later, she announced the rescheduled tour dates, and, though she offered no details on her medical condition, she denied rumors that she had cancer.
