Tributes paid to The Jackson Five’s Tito Jackson, who has died

Tito Jackson of The Jackson Five has died at the age of 70.

Jackson’s death was first announced by Entertainment Tonight on September 15. While Tito Jackson’s cause of death has yet to be confirmed, his former manager Steve Manning believes that the musician suffered from a heart attack while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma. PEOPLE later confirmed the death with his nephew Siggy.

Tito’s sons TJ, Taj and Taryll have since shared a post on Instagram announcing his death: “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.”

“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.”

Tito Jackson was best known as a founding member of The Jackson Five, and was the elder brother to Janet Jackson and the late Michael Jackson. In recent years, Tito had performed around the world with his brothers Jackie and Marlon as The Jacksons, where they performed The Jackson Five’s biggest hits.

In 1964, Tito founded the pop group The Jackson Five along with his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and a young Michael Jackson. Randy would later join the group and they would go on to have a string to chart-topping songs including ‘ABC’, ‘I Want You Back’ and ‘I’ll Be There’ throughout the 70s.

Following Michael Jackson’s explosion as a pop megastar, The Jackson Five would continue to release music until 1989’s ‘2300 Jackson Street’. After that, Tito would venture out as a blues guitarist, playing with the B.B. King Blues Band, and had also recorded and released a handful of albums as a solo musician.

Tito reunited with The Jackson Five in 2001 for a 30th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. Tito was inducted with the rest of The Jackson Five into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Michael, who died in 2009, is the only member from the original lineup of five brothers to have preceded Tito in death.

Most recently, released the solo album ‘Under Your Spell’ in 2021. As a group, the surviving members of The Jacksons – rebranded from The Jackson 5 – had performed a number of shows following Michael’s death. They had performed their last show before Tito’s death on September 10.

Following the news of Tito Jackson’s death, former Jackson Five drummer Jonathan ‘Sugarfoot’ Moffett wrote on Facebook: “I’m stunned and devastated to receive and hear this disheartening news. I love Tito like my brothers of blood relation. I’m stunned and dismayed… Trying to gather my thoughts, memories of him… and mental senses.. my most sincere and deepest thoughts and prayers for my second mother, Katherine.”

This a developing story.