Tito Jackson, member of Jackson 5, dead at 70
Tito Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson and one of the original members of the Jackson 5, has passed away at the age of 70.
According to family friend and former Jackson family manager Steve Manning on Entertainment Tonight, Jackson passed away after suffering a heart attack while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma on September 15th. However, the official cause of Jackson’s death has yet to be confirmed.
Jackson’s children, Taj, Taryll and TJ Jackson, took to Instagram to share a tribute to their late father, writing, “We are shocked saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their wellbeing.”
The three children continued, “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 was from a family of talented artists, and was the third child in the ten that made up the Jackson clan. Tito was one of the original members of the Jackson 5, who went on to create some of the biggest hits in Motown history. They were responsible for timeless classics such as ‘ABC’ and ‘I Want You Back’ which continue to be popular today despite being released decades ago due to their catchy nature and the expert artistry that went into their creation.
The band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as they were credited for their overall influence on music, as their “bubblegum soul” sound was able to combine influences from various vocal groups, R&B stars, classic Motown artists and contemporary soul. When inducting the band, Diana Ross said, “We knew then that it was going to be something special.”
Jackson continued to perform in the current iteration of the Jackson 5, as despite having a successful career outside of the group, he always kept those tracks close to him. His last appearance with the Jackson 5 was only six days ago, as they performed at a show in Germany.
Tito’s career wasn’t limited to the Jackson 5, though. Decades after his brother, Michael Jackson, led the group to pursue his solo career, Tito did the same albeit it to differing levels of success. As a guitarist by trade, he performed as a blues musician in various clubs.
In recent years, Jackson finally released music as a solo artist rather than restricting his career to the stage. His debut solo album, Tito Time, was released in 2016, and five years later, Jackson followed it up with his final full-length studio release, Under Your Spell.
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