Tito Jackson has died aged 70.
The Jackson 5 founding member and Michael Jackson’s older brother passed away on Sunday from a suspected heart attack while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma – family friend and former Jackson family manager Steve Manning told ET.
An official cause of death has not yet been determined.
Tito was last pictured on September 9 in Munich, Germany six days before his death – ahead of a performance by The Jacksons’ current line-up, also featuring brothers Jackie and Marlon Jackson.
King of Pop Michael – who was known for hits including Smooth Criminal and Beat It – died on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50, after a cardiac arrest.
Tito is survived by his three sons Taj, 41, Taryll, 39, and TJ, 46 – who were in the band 3T – and nine grandchildren.
Tito Jackson has died aged 70 – pictured 2017
Tito was last pictured on September 9, six days before his shock death – seen second left with Jackie and Marlon Jackson, as well as Tito’s son Taryll Jackson
Tito rose to fame in iconic quintet – the Jackson 5 – headed up by his younger brother Michael and with brothers Jackie, Jermaine and Marlon Jackson – pictured 1968
His sons’ mother was Delores ‘Dee Dee’ Martes who Jackson wed in 1972 and divorced in 1988.
She was found dead in a swimming pool in 1994 aged 39 and while her death was originally ruled accidental – her boyfriend Donald Bohana was subsequently charged with murdering her and later found guilty of second-degree murder in 1998.
He was granted parole in December 2022 after serving 24 years.
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The Jackson 5 formed in 1964, with founding members Tito – born Toriano Adaryll – Jackie and Jermaine; younger brothers Marlon and Michael joined soon after.
Tito started playing guitar aged 10 after his father Joe caught him experimenting on his own musical instrument and breaking a string.
Joe demanded Tito play for him and later bought him his own guitar.
The 10 Jackson kids regularly broke into song and Joe was inspired to form them into the family band.
Joe managed them, entering the band in local talent competitions.
Jackson was notoriously hard on them as manager; he also insisted that his children call him by his first name and not Dad.
Moving on from local performances and competitions, Jackson eventually booked them in increasingly reputable venues, eventually getting the band a spot at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York – where they won amateur night and then a Motown recording contract.
In 1969 the Jackson 5 signed with Motown Records in Detroit, and scored several hit songs, including the number-one singles I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save, and I’ll Be There – with Tito’s impressive guitar skills a key component of the band’s success.
The Jackson 5 formed in 1964, with founding members Tito – born Toriano Adaryll – Jackie and Jermaine; younger brothers Marlon and Michael joined soon after – pictured 1972
Tito shared a close bond with his younger brother – they are seen in 2005 during Jackson’s highly-publicized trial for child molestation
Jackson is survived by his three sons Taj, 41, Taryll, 39 and Tito Joe, 46 – who were in the band 3T
His sons’ mother was Delores ‘Dee Dee’ Martes (left) who Jackson wed in 1972 and divorced in 1988. She was found dead in a swimming pool in 1994 – Tito is pictured with Martes, Brenda Harvey-Richie, and Rebbie Jackson in 1982
The Jackson family are a music dynasty – with sister Janet Jackson also becoming one of music’s biggest superstars – pictured with brother Jermaine in 2007
The Jackson 5 became the first American group to have their first four singles go straight to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Randy, the youngest Jackson brother, replaced Jermaine in the mid-1970s when the group left Motown and became The Jacksons at CBS; Jermaine stayed behind and launched a solo career.
In 2001, Jackson reunited with his brothers on Michael Jackson’s 30th anniversary concert special at Madison Square Garden.
Michael was involved in the original Jackson 5 up until 1983 when he began to focus on his successful career as a solo artist.
Tito shared a close bond with Michael and staunchly defended him when he faced allegations of child molestation. Jackson was cleared of all 14 counts of allegations against him in 2005.
In 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland was released, in which Wade Robson and James Safechuck both claimed Michael had abused them as young boys.
Safechuck was 10 years old when he met Jackson in 1986 on the set of a Pepsi advert. He alleges that Jackson, who throughout his life denied any allegations of sexually abusing children, showered him with gifts while grooming both him and his family.
Tito is pictured with brothers Marlon, Jermaine and Randy, and sister Janet Jackson with Michael’s kids Paris and Prince at the pop icon’s memorial series in 2009
The Jackson 5 became the first American group to have their first four singles go straight to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Robson, an n, was five when he first met Jackson after winning a dance competition in Brisbane. He alleged similar abuse.
Tito refused to watch the documentary and said in 2021: ‘I’ve never seen any of Michael Jackson movies or documentaries or anything of that nature because I know they’re a bunch of BS.
‘But the people who have tainted, maybe they want it to be tainted.
‘It’s a crazy situation and I think it has something to do with his popularity that they want to throw some ugliness in the mix or want to taint his profile.
‘Social media doesn’t help, the way it works sometimes, but it (his legacy) will never be tainted because the truth always prevails and it always will. I don’t care what they say, it always will. It’s almost like ‘what’s next? who’s next?’
Tito began a solo career in 2003 performing as a blues musician – releasing two albums, Tito Time in 2016 and Under Your Spell in 2021.
Tito Time spawned successful solo single Get It Baby feat. Big Daddy Kane.
He released Love One Another from Under Your Spell which featured brother Marlon Jackson, Kenny Neal, Bobby Rush and Stevie Wonder.
Throughout his career he was nominated for three Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a member of the Jackson 5.
Tito began a solo career in 2003 performing as a blues musician – releasing two albums, Tito Time in 2016 and Under Your Spell in 2021 – pictured August 31 2024 in Inglewood, California
Last month Jackson reflected on his brother Michael telling The Mirror: ‘The world was not kind to Michael at all. I don’t know why. I would always say if we didn’t have him, we sure would miss him.
‘His death was such a major tragedy. The world definitely missed out on a lot of goodness from him, because he wasn’t just a musician or an artist, he was a loving person. He loved to give.”
‘I don’t have time to put it in my head. We know ourselves and we know each other. It just angers me. There are not too many people that I trust. Learning from this business… Well, there are a whole lot of wealthy people in showbusiness that are not artists, so you wonder how they got all their wealth.
In his final weeks Jackson had performed shows in California, England and Scotland – taking to the stage in Surrey, England on September 8 and performing at Circus Krone in Munich on September 10.
The band was due to perform next on October 25 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and November 1 in Cincinnati, Ohio