LOS ANGELES (MCT) — The Jacksons of Gary, Ind., rose to fame on pitch-perfect harmonies, synchronized dance moves and an unwavering devotion to family as personified by their pious and steadfast mother.

But in the last week, those qualities have come to seem as out of date for the famous family as the bell bottoms and butterfly collars they sported on “The Ed Sullivan Show” four decades ago. In a bitter public feud that has played out in tabloid leaks, Twitter posts and police reports, some family members accused others of kidnapping the 82-year-old matriarch, Katherine, in a bid to enlist her in a fight over the vast fortune of their deceased superstar brother, Michael.