Tito Jackson, an older brother to the late Michael Jackson and a member of the Jackson 5, has passed away at the 70 years old. It is reported that he suffered a heart attack on Sunday.
According to a long-time friend of the family, Steve Manning, who spoke to Entertainment Tonight, the guitarist had suffered the attack on his way to Oklahoma from New Mexico. Tito’s three sons also confirmed the news in a joint statement posted on their band’s Instagram account, 3tworld. They paid tribute to the legend, calling him an “incredible man who cared about everyone,” and posting multiple photos of him from over the years.
Before his death, Tito Jackson had been on a summer tour in Europe with two of his brothers, Jackie and Marlon. When they stopped for a show in Munich, Germany, they visited a memorial dedicated to their late brother, Michael, who passed away in 2009, according to Tito’s Facebook post.
The forever iconic group, The Jackson 5, was formed in the 1960s by the five brothers ~ Tito, Jermaine, Jackie, Michael, and Marlon. Their father, Joe Jackson, who is also late, worked as the group’s manager. The pop band achieved multiple milestones during their career including becoming the first group to ever debut on the Billboard Hot 100 with 4 number-one hits consecutively.
Tito Jackson also pursued solo projects as did the rest of his siblings. In 2016, one of the songs from his ‘Tito Time’ album achieved commercial success, entering the top 20 list on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart. He received three Grammy nominations throughout his career.
Besides Tito Jackson’s sons, Taj, Taryll, and TJ, others in the industry have also paid tribute to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Jonathan ‘Sugarfoot’ Moffett, an ex-drummer for the Jackson 5 paid his on Facebook, writing that he is “stunned and devastated” by the news. He also claimed to love Tito as a brother and hoped that his soul would make it into heaven.
