His three sons confirmed his death.
Tito Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson and member of iconic family group The Jackson 5, has died at the age of 70. He reportedly suffered a heart attack while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma on Sunday, September 15, former Jackson family manager Steve Manning told Entertainment Tonight, a daily celebrity news show in the United States. The official cause of death has not yet been released.
BREAKING: Tito Jackson died at the age of 70.
Steve Manning, a longtime Jackson family friend and former Jackson family manager, tells ET that Tito passed away today. While an official cause of death has not yet been determined, Manning believes that Tito suffered a heart… pic.twitter.com/coZCZm3T9i
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) https://twitter.com/etnow/status/1835524693383647697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The singer and guitarist's sons, Taj, Taryll and TJ, confirmed their father's death in an Instagram post on Sunday. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson, is no longer with us,” they said on the social media site, on the official page of their R&B group 3T.
Real name Toriano Adaryll Jackson, “Tito Jackson” was born on October 15, 1953 in Gary, Indiana. He is the third of 10 children of Katherine and Joe Jackson, and the older brother of Michael and Janet.
The New York Post reports that the Jackson 5 exploded into the mainstream in 1969 when they signed a seven-year contract with Motown Records. They quickly became the number one group on the label, which they would later leave.
Michael left the group in 1984 after his album Thriller became one of the best-selling albums of all time, earning him eight Grammy Awards as a solo artist.
At their peak in the 1970s, the Jackson 5 topped the charts with hits like ABC, I'll Be There And I Want You Back. They were all inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Tito later pursued a solo career, releasing two albums, Tito Time in 2016 and Under Your Spell in 2021.
Tito had published a message on Facebook on September 11 from Munich (Germany), where he had visited a memorial to Michael Jackson with his brothers during his tour of Europe.“We are deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but our shared heritage. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive,” he wrote.
