Tito Jackson, a member of the 1970s pop-soul group Jackson 5 with his four brothers, including Michael Jackson, has died. He was 70.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us,” the musician’s sons TJ, Taj and Taryll Jackson posted on Instagram Monday morning.
The brothers stated they’re “shocked, saddened and heartbroken,” over losing their father, but didn’t say how “Poppa T” died. A long time associate told Entertainment Tonight he suspects a heart attack killed the performer while he was driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma. Tulsa World said he lived in Claremore, Okla.
Tito Jackson, born Toriano Adaryll Jackson, played guitar and sang backup in the generational pop band that included his siblings Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, who became a cultural phenomenon before dying in 2009.
The rest of the Jackson brothers continued touring after “The King of Pop” died at 50, but it wasn’t the same for Tito Jackson.
“I would say definitely it brought us a step closer to each other,” Tito Jackson told the Associated Press in 2014. “There’s still moments when I just can’t believe it.”
Last week he and his brothers visited a memorial to Michael while performing in Germany. He expressed gratitude to fans for keeping his younger brother in their thoughts.
“We’re deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy,” Tito Jackson posted on Facebook.
Jackson was born in Gary, Ind., but moved to California with his family as the band launched to stardom in the late 1960s and early ’70s. They recorded hits including “ABC,” “I’ll Be There” and “I Want You Back.”
The group was managed by family patriarch Joe Jackson, who died in 2018. All five brothers recorded solo projects, including Tito, whose long-awaited “Tito Time” album dropped in 2016. He told the Associated Press in 2019 a follow up was in the works. He said raising a family was a higher priority than putting out new music.
In addition to his sons, Tito Jackson is survived by his musical brothers Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Jackie and sisters Janet, Rebbie and LaToya. Their mother Katherine is 94.
His ex-wife Delores “Dee Dee” Martes died in 1994. The pair was married for 16 years prior to their 1988 divorce. She’s the mother of their three sons.
“Please remember to do what our father always preached and that is ‘Love One Another,’” TJ, Taj and Taryll Jackson concluded in their farewell post. “We love you Pops.”
With News Wire Services
Originally Published:
