By Tufayel Ahmed contributing from US Weekly
September 16, 2024
Tito Jackson, an original member of The Jackson 5 and the late Michael Jackson‘s brother, has died at 70, per multiple reports.
Jackson died Sunday, September 15, from a suspected heart attack while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma, the Jacksons’ former family manager, Steve Manning, told Entertainment Tonight. People confirmed Jackson’s death with his nephew, Siggy Jackson.
Jackson’s sons Taj, Taryll and TJ, best known as the pop group 3T, shared the news of their father’s death via Instagram early Monday, September 16.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us,” the trio wrote alongside a series of photos spanning their father’s life. “We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being.”
Related: Celebrity Deaths of 2024: Stars We Lost This Year
“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,” Jackson’s sons continued.
Before his death, Tito had been touring with his brothers Marlon and Jackie as The Jacksons. The trio performed a gig as recently as September 8 at Walton-on-Thames, England, at the Boogietown festival. They also performed on August 31 at the Fool in Love Festival at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.https://www.instagram.com/p/C_929Mbuhsu/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=658&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usmagazine.com&rp=%2Fcelebrity-news%2Fnews%2Ftito-jackson-dead-jackson-5-member-michael-jacksons-brother-was-70%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dbrowser%26utm_source%3Dpushly%26utm_campaign%3DAll%2520Subscribers%25208am#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A15015.09999999404%7D
A founding member of The Jackson 5, Jackson was propelled to fame alongside his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, who died in 2009. (Randy Jackson replaced Jermaine in 1976.) Together, they had a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s including, “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “I’ll Be There” and “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground).”
The Jackson 5 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
