Tito Jackson, a member of the legendary Jackson 5, has passed away at the age of 70.
Tito, the third of nine Jackson children—including globally renowned stars Michael and Janet Jackson—was known for his contributions to the Jackson 5.
Alongside his siblings Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael, Tito gained fame with the group’s iconic hits such as “ABC,” “I Want You Back,” and “I’ll Be There.”
In a statement shared on Instagram on Sunday, 15 September, Tito’s sons—TJ, Taj, and Taryll—announced his death with heavy hearts.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us,” they wrote.
“We are shocked, saddened, and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being.”
They added, “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.”
Tito was known for his roles as a guitarist, singer, and dancer with the Jackson 5, achieving significant success in the late 1960s and early 1970s with four number one hits: “I Want You Back” in 1969, and “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There” in 1970. In 1997, Tito and the Jackson 5 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In his solo career, Tito was the last of the Jackson siblings to release a solo project, debuting with “Tito Time” in 2016. He also released a single, “One Way Street,” in 2017 and mentioned working on a second album in 2019.
Tito had often been less in the spotlight compared to his siblings and expressed his pain over being the subject of jokes about the group.
He refrained from pursuing a solo career for many years to focus on raising his three sons, who formed the music group 3T.
“I’ve always been the quietest member of the group, so people make jokes about me,” Tito said in a 2018 interview with The Jitney.
“One of my favorite basketball players, Charles Barkley, said, ‘If Tito wasn’t in the Jackson 5, would we miss him?’ That hit me in the heart. It crushed me.”
Following Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, and Marlon reunited for a tour in 2012, their first as a group in nearly thirty years.
Tito also appeared as a judge on the BBC celebrity singing competition “Just the Two of Us” and executive produced “The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty,” a reality show documenting the brothers’ reunion.
Reflecting on touring without Michael, Tito commented, “I don’t think we will ever get used to performing without him. He’s dearly missed.” He noted that Michael’s spirit continued to inspire and uplift the group during their performances.
Just days before his passing, Tito shared a post on his Facebook page from Munich, Germany, where he and his brothers visited a memorial dedicated to Michael Jackson.
“Before our show in Munich, my brothers Jackie, Marlon, and I visited the beautiful memorial dedicated to our beloved brother, Michael Jackson,” he wrote.
“We’re deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive.”
Tito was born to Joe and Katherine Jackson and began playing guitar at the age of 10, after his father noticed his interest in the instrument and bought him one of his own.
Reflecting on his music career in 2021, Tito told Blues Blast magazine, “I’d been playing the Jackson 5 stuff for all my life practically, but the blues had been the main music in my family. I just wanted to jam.”
