It’s round two in pop stars v the rumour mill this week. First, Beyoncé’s representatives reportedly debunked rumours of the singer’s involvement in a film about Saartjie Baartman, the South African woman displayed in 19th-century European freak shows. Then on Wednesday night, Janet Jackson stated on social media that, contrary to gossip site reports, she does not have cancer.
“Remember … believe it when you hear it from my lips,” the message read, on the singer’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. “The rumours are untrue. I do not have cancer. I’m recovering.”
Jackson made her point with a short video featuring a snippet of song The Great Forever, off recent album Unbreakable. The song includes the lines: “Sources say but where you gettin’ it / Don’t create the truth you like.”
From my lips… https://t.co/0fQjkej5lY
— Janet Jackson (@JanetJackson) January 7, 2016
On 24 December 2015, Jackson shared a statement on social media about needing to postpone upcoming tour dates to undergo surgery. She wrote at the time that “there will be no further comment”. Gossip website Radar Online then published a report on Tuesday, quoting an anonymous source saying that “doctors found a growth on Janet’s vocal cords”. The article made inferences to throat cancer, and included speculation about what a tumour could mean for Jackson’s health and career.
Jackson’s message dismissed the rumours and went on to state that the European leg of her Unbreakable world tour was due to go on as planned, starting in the UK in March. Her postponed US dates, due to begin on 9 January in Denver, are to be rescheduled.
The planned dates would give UK fans outside Dublin and London the chance to see Jackson play live for the first time in almost 18 years.
