After a long career, the 67-year-old actor was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award during the BET Awards on Sunday night. The event was held at the Microsoft Theater in California.
While accepting the honorable award, Jackson paid tribute to his wife LaTanya Richardson and daughter Zoe.
“The other two people that challenged me on a regular basis are my foundation and support, my daughter Zoe and my wife LaTanya. The two women that actually found me passed out on the floor after I left somebody’s bachelor party and put me in rehab the next day. And supported me and pushed me and give me a reason to get up and go and chase it day after day after day.”
Along with his family, he thanked others for their unconditional love and support. “It’s sort of exciting, I never get nervous, and I can hear my voice shaking and it’s strange to hear myself sound that way. But it’s been a great ride getting here, as there are a couple people very instrumental in that. First I want to thank god for giving me this opportunity even in the beginning. A young man who grew up in a segregated Tennessee, nobody told me I could be this. So, here I am, and here you are. Thank god for that,” Jackson added.
He also thanked his fans, saying, “Lastly, I want to thank everybody in here and in the world who has ever bought a ticket, a video, or a DVD with me in it.”