Tito Jackson, the founding guitarist of the legendary 1970s hit band The Jackson 5, which included a young Michael Jackson and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, died on Sunday after reportedly suffering a heart attack while driving. He was 70.
His sons TJ, Taryll and Taj Jackson, who form the band 3T, posted the news on social media.
“We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken,” the trio wrote on Facebook. “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, others as ‘Coach Tito’ or still others as ‘Poppa T.’. However, he will be terribly missed.”
The group, which also included brothers Jermaine, Marlon, Jackie and later Randy, broke out in Indiana in 1969 and their first four singles all reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100: “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There.” Their next two singles – “Mama’s Pearl” and “Never Can Say Goodbye” – reached No. 2 in 1970. In total, The Jackson 5 – later called The Jacksons – had ten top 10 hits in the 1970s and one more, “State of Shock,” in 1984. They also had seven top 10 hits in the UK.
The band’s first four LPs all made it into the top 5 of the Billboard 200 in 1970, with their groundbreaking Jackson 5 Christmas album topped the charts in December. By 1984, they had landed four more top 10 longplayers in the USA
Born Toriano Adaryll Jackson on October 15, 1953, in Gary, Indiana, Tito Jackson was the second oldest in the group that came together in the mid-1960s under the watchful eye and heavy hand of their father, Joe Jackson. The group won an amateur talent contest at the Apollo Theater in 1967 and signed with Berry Gordy’s hugely successful Motown Records in 1969, resulting in a string of hits that also included “Dancing Machine,” “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Enjoy Yourself.”
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Lead singer Michael was just 11 years old when the group had its breakthrough, releasing the powerful solo albums From the wall (1979) and thriller (1982), which cemented his reputation as the “King of Pop” and caused him to distance himself more and more from the group. Michael and his brothers embarked on the major “Victory Tour” of stadiums in 1984 and years later on a 30th anniversary concert, which was recorded at Madison Square Garden in 2001. Michael Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50 and his brothers – along with his sisters La Toya and Janet – attended his memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Tito Jackson launched a solo career in the early 2000s, which included the albums Tito era (2016) and Under your spell (2021).
He leaves behind three sons and nine grandchildren. Delores Jackson, who married Tito in 1972 and is the mother of TJ, Taryll and Taj Jackson, died in 1994.
