Janet Jackson, Jermaine Dupri Split

July 17, 2009

by Kali Holloway-Prefix

It would seem that it's been a month of turmoil and upheaval for Janet Jackson. On the heels of the loss of her brother, Michael, in June, come reports of Jackson's breakup with longtime boyfriend, producer Jermaine Dupri. According to US Weekly, rumors of a split surfaced following Dupri's conspicuous absence from Michael Jackson's funeral on July 7. Now the magazine reports that an insider says "it's over."

Since none of us are genuinely privy to what goes on in the lives of celebrities, it's hard to cite an exact reason for the pair's breakup after seven years. But Us's sources say that things started to unravel after Dupri produced two tracks for Jackson's last album. The magazine quotes a source as saying the singer felt overwhelmed and claustrophobic because of how closely entagled the two were in each other's lives.

Us also quotes another source who chalks the breakup up to a simple, classic reason: The fact that opposites attract -- and, then, repel: "Jermaine likes to be out there, mingling with everybody, and ­Janet's more shy."

Cool Black's Mad Commentary: J&J have been one of the most photographed couples in recent years. While black folk knew who Jermaine Dupri was the world then knew who he was since he was dating a world reknown superstar. Maybe he can retain some of the notabilty.

Check out some of the photographs of "one of the most photographed couples in recent years" below