Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, has died. He was 70.
was the third of nine children, including global superstars Michael and Janet, and was part of a music-making family whose songs have sold hundreds of millions of copies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 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,鈥� his sons TJ, Taj and Taryll Jackson said in a statement late Sunday.
The Jackson 5, among the last of the major groups launched through Berry Gordy's Motown empire, included teenage and pre-teen brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and lead singer Michael. Gordy signed them up in the late 1960s, when Motown's power was slipping and tastes were shifting from the slick pop-soul of Motown's prime to the funkier sounds of Sly and the Family Stone.
鈥淚 Want You Back,鈥� the group's breakthrough hit, was openly modeled on Sly and the Family Stone and topped the charts in 1969. The Jacksons followed with three more No. 1 songs, "ABC," 鈥淭he Love You Save" and 鈥淚鈥檒l Be There," and also hit the top 5 with 鈥淢ama's Pearl鈥� and 鈥淣ever Can Say Goodbye."
Some called their music 鈥渂ubblegum soul.鈥�
By mid-decade, the Jackson 5's appeal was fading and the group, except Jermaine, moved to Epic and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Their latter hits included 鈥淓njoy Yourself,鈥� 鈥淟ovely One鈥� and 鈥淪hake Your Body (Down to the Ground)." Michael Jackson became a multi-platinum solo artist in the 1980s and his collaborations with his brothers became rare after the 1984 album 鈥淰ictory."
The Jackson 5 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, introduced at the ceremony by longtime friend Diana Ross.
Among reactions to the death was from the Broadway production 鈥淢J," about Michael Jackson and his family. On X, the show called Tito Jackson 鈥渁n icon of the music industry who has inspired generations of singers, musicians and performers across the world. None more so than our MJ family.鈥� It included a photo of Tito Jackson attending the show.
Raised in Gary, Indiana, the Jackson 5 had been formed under the guidance of their father, Joe Jackson, a steelworker and guitar player. Michael and sibling La Toya would accuse him of abusive behavior. Toriano Adaryll 鈥淭ito鈥� Jackson was the least-heard member of the group, working as a background singer who played guitar.
Michael Jackson died at age 50 on June 25, 2009. Speaking to The Associated Press in December 2009, Tito Jackson said that his younger brother's death pulled the family closer together.
鈥淚 would say definitely it brought us a step closer to each other. To recognize that the love we have for each other when one of us is not here, what a great loss,鈥� he said, adding he would personally never 鈥渂e at peace with it.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 still moments when I just can鈥檛 believe it. So I think that鈥檚 never going to go away,鈥� he said.
In 2014, Jackson said that he and his brothers still felt Michael Jackson's absence in their shows, which continued with international tours.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we will ever get used to performing without him. He鈥檚 dearly missed," Jackson said, noting that his brother's spirit "is with us when we are performing. It gives us a lot of positive energy and puts a lot of smiles on our faces."
Days before his death, Jackson posted a message on his Facebook page from Germany on Sept. 11, where he visited a memorial to Michael Jackson with his brothers.
鈥淏efore our show in Munich, my brothers Jackie, Marlon, and I, visited the beautiful memorial dedicated to our beloved brother, Michael Jackson. We鈥檙e deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive," Jackson wrote.
Jackson was the last of the nine siblings to release a solo project with his 2016 debut, 鈥淭ito Time.鈥� He released a song in 2017, 鈥淥ne Way Street,鈥� and in 2019 that he was working on a sophomore album.
Jackson said he purposely held back from pursuing a solo career because he wanted to focus on raising his three sons, who formed their own music group, 3T. Jackson's website offers a link to a single featuring 3T and Stevie Wonder titled, 鈥淟ove One Another.鈥�
Earlier this year, Jackson settled in a house in Claremore, Oklahoma near Tulsa, 鈥淚 always wanted to get away from the West Coast and experience living somewhere with new people and new culture,鈥� the paper quoted Jackson as saying. 鈥淐alifornia is ... different.鈥�
Jackson had ties to the area: His uncle, Samuel Jackson, had opened Jackson Undertaking Co. in Tulsa in 1917, and when it burned down during the e in 1921, Samuel Jackson was hired by a white-owned funeral home to embalm the bodies of Black residents who were killed, the paper reported. He later rebuilt his own company.
Jackson also is survived by his brothers Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Jackie, his sisters Janet, Rebbie and La Toya, and their mother, Katherine. Their father .
Jackson's death was first reported by Entertainment Tonight.
Brian P. D. Hannon, The Associated Press
