Tito Jackson, former member of The Jackson 5, has passed away

He was 70 years old.

Photo Credit: Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File

Tito Jackson, who was a founding member of the Jackson 5 and brother of Michael Jackson, has died at the age of 70. The American singer died on the night of this Sunday, September 15th, 2024.

“It is with great sadness that we announce that our beloved father Tito Jackson is no longer with us,” his children said in a statement.

The family of the guitarist also said they were shocked, saddened and heartbroken to learn of the death.

“Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being. Some of you may know him as Tito Jackson of the legendary Jackson 5, some may know him as ‘Coach Tito’ or some know him as ‘Poppa T’. However, he will be greatly missed. He will always be ‘Tito Time’ to us,” they added.

His family did not detail the causes of death. However, Steve Manning, one of his friends, assured the media Entertainment Tonight that he apparently suffered a cardiac arrest when he was driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma, United States.

Tito was the third of ten children of the Jackson family. He formed with his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael (who died in 2009) the famous group The Jackson 5, which had Motown as its first record label (1969-1975) and was one of the most popular bands of its time.

On their debut album, they managed to get their first four singles, ‘I Want You Back’, ‘ABC’, ‘The Love You Save’ and ‘I’ll Be There’, to the top of the charts in the US.

In 1984, the group released ‘Victory Tour’, an album in which Tito sang ‘We Can Change the World’ and had a prominent role as an instrumentalist, and the following year he participated in the USA for Africa project to raise funds for those affected by famine on the continent.

He had recently performed with his brothers Marlon and Jackie in England and participated at the end of August in the Fool in Love Festival in Hollywood Park, California.

Tito had also recorded and performed extensively as a blues guitarist over the past 20 years, either on his own label or with the B.B. King Blues Band. In 2016, he became the last of the Jackson brothers to have a solo Billboard hit, with the single ‘Get It Baby.’