Tito Jackson, the guitarist and singer who played with his brothers in the Jackson 5, has died, The New York Times reports. Jackson was 70 years old when he passed.
A statement from a spokesman for his sister, Janet Jackson, said Mr. Jackson died of a heart attack while driving to Oklahoma from New Mexico on Sunday (September 15). Joe Jackson’s three sons, who formed the R&B-pop band 3T in the 1990s, shared the sad news of his passing on that group’s social media accounts.
Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson and brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael formed the Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s and signed to Motown later in the decade, quickly becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the United States. They debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 with four consecutive #1 singles—“I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There.”
Tito, whose main skill was as a guitarist, was not permitted by Motown to play on recordings, so he primarily contributed to the group on stage. The band gained autonomy as writers, performers, and producers upon signing to Epic in 1976: three years before Michael Jackson’s solo pop breakout, Off the Wall, precipitated the band’s dissolution.
In 1984, two years after Thriller became the best-selling album ever, Michael rejoined the band to release Victory as the Jacksons. On the subsequent tour, Michael announced it would likely be their last outing as a band. Remaining siblings Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, and Randy formally broke up in 1989. As Pitchfork has noted, all six members were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Diana Ross in 1997.
Tito continued to perform, both with his own blues band and fronting the B.B. King Blues Band. He released his first solo album, Tito Time, in 2016, and a second, Under Your Spell, three years later. His last release was the 2023 single "Attitude," featuring Natalia Dimini. He had been touring with some of his brothers as the Jacksons as recently as last week.
Tito Jackson’s sons, 3T, wrote online, “It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being. Some of you may know him as Tito Jackson from the legendary Jackson 5, some may know him as ‘Coach Tito’ or some know him as ‘Poppa T.’ Nevertheless, he will be missed tremendously. It will forever be ‘Tito Time’ for us. Please remember to do what our father always preached and that is ‘Love One Another.’ We love you Pops.”
Besides his sons (Taj, Taryll and TJ), Tito Jackson is survived by his brothers Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Jackie, his sisters Janet, Rebbie and Latoya and their mother, Katherine. Michael passed in 2009 and their father Joe died in 2018.
See 3T's tribute and watch footage from Tito Jackson's final live performance below.
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Article Image: A portrait of Tito Jackson on the streets of London, taken in 2017. (David Sedlecky [CC BY 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons.)
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