The ‘Facts of Life’ Star Who Sang on Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Hit “Pretty Young Thing”

On September 19, 1983, Michael Jackson released his sixth single from his sixth album, his megahit Thriller, “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” and earned another Top 10 hit. Jackson and musician Greg Phillinganes, who later served as musical director of Jackson’s Bad and Dangerous tours, originally wrote and recorded a demo of “P.Y.T.,” which producer Quincy Jones passed on.

Jones, who initially came up with the title after seeing the phrase on a piece of lingerie his then-wife, Peggy Lipton, was wearing, was looking for something more mid-tempo and later co-wrote it with James Ingram.

Once released, “P.Y.T.” went to No. 10 on the pop chart.

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Janet, La Toya … and Natalie?

During the recording session for “P.Y.T.,” Jackson’s sisters La Toya Jackson and Janet were in the studio, along with a very popular ’80s sitcom actress. At one point during the recording, Jones put Janet and her friend, Mindy Cohn, who starred as Natalie Green on the hit show Facts of Life, on the microphone to help with some backing vocals and to sing as the kids featured at the end of the track.

“Me and Janet [Jackson],” revealed Cohn in 2020. “And I’m the kids at the end, too. We went to listen to the record, and Quincy Jones put us on the mic.” She added, “Have to post the pic on Instagram of the session. It’s kinda wild.”

Other credited backing vocalists on the track include Ingram, Becky Lopez, Bunny Hull, and Howard Hewett. Cohn, who wasn’t credited on the album, later posted a group image from the studio that day, with Michael and Janet Jackson, Jones, and his “Pretty Young Thing” co-writer James Ingram, along with other members of the recording crew.

“On difficult days, I remind myself that I’m living a life chock full of serendipity, having once-in-a-lifetime experiences all the time,” wrote Cohn, “like this one: recording session for ‘P.Y.T.’”

‘Scooby Doo’ and Other Voices

Though Cohn’s music career didn’t develop beyond “P.Y.T.,” when Facts of Life came to an end in 1988 after nine seasons, Cohn continued acting in film, television, and later as a voice actor in video games and animation, with features on Kim Possible, Family Guy, and a recurring role as Velma Dinkley in Scooby Doo films and TV series.

The role even earned Cohn a Daytime Emmy nomination for the TV show What’s New, Scooby-Doo? in 2003.

“I still love it,” Cohn said of acting. “On-camera stuff, it’s very spotty, but I’ve definitely been able to do two to three things a year to keep me viable. As an actor, my voiceover career has never made me feel unemployed for the past seven years.”

Photo: Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank