Tito Jackson death: Jackson 5 founding member and brother of Michael dies aged 70

Tito Jackson, one of the children who made up the Jackson 5, has died aged 70.

Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, who include global superstars Michael and Janet Jackson.

He performed alongside his siblings Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael in the Jackson 5 and became known for hits including “ABC,” “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.”

His sons TJ, Taj and Taryll said in a statement shared to Instagram on Sunday, 15 September: “It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us.

“We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being.”

They 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.”

Tito played guitar, sang and danced in the Jackson Five and was catapulted to fame in the late Sixties and early Seventies with the band’s string of four number one hits: “I Want You Back” in 1969 and “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There” in 1970.

The singer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the Jackson 5 in 1997.

He was the last of the nine Jackson siblings to release a solo project with his 2016 debut, “Tito Time.” He also released a song in 2017, “One Way Street,” and said in 2019 that he was working on a sophomore album.

Tito was one of the lesser-known members of the Jackson 5 and expressed hurt of being made the punchline of jokes about the group.

The singer said he purposely held back from pursuing a solo career, because he wanted to focus on raising his three sons: T.J., Taj and Taryll, who formed their own music group 3T.

“I’ve always been the quietest member of the group, so people make jokes about me,” he said in an interview with The Jitney in 2018.

“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.”

After Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, and Marlon played a series of shows in 2012 – their first tour as a band in almost three decades.

Tito was also a judge on the BBC celebrity singing competition show Just the Two of Us and exectutive produced the reality show The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty , which followed the reunion of the brothers.

The singer said of touring without Michael: “I don’t think we will ever get used to performing without him. He’s dearly missed.”

He added the singer’s spirit was “with us when we are performing. It gives us a lot of positive energy and puts a lot of smiles on our faces.”

Days before his death, Tito posted a message on his Facebook page from Munich, Germany, where he visited a memorial to Michael with his brothers.

“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 the third child of Joe and Katherine Jackson. He started playing guitar at 10 after his father noticed him toying with one of his guitars and bought him one of his own.

Of his slow return to music, the Jackson 5 star told Blues Blast magazine in 2021: “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.”