Tito Jackson dead at 70: Jackson 5 member and brother of Michael Jackson passes away while driving

Tito Jackson has died at the age of 70.

The Jackson 5 founder and older brother of Michael Jackson died Sunday of an apparent heart attack while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma, family friend and former Jackson family manager Steve Manning said. AND.

No official cause of death has yet been determined.

Tito was last photographed on September 9 in Munich, Germany, six days before his death – prior to a performance by the current lineup of The Jacksons, which also includes brothers Jackie and Marlon Jackson.

King of Pop Michael – known for hits such as Smooth Criminal and Beat It – died on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50 due to cardiac arrest.

Tito is survived by his three sons Taj, 41, Taryll, 39, and TJ, 46 – who was in band 3T – and nine grandchildren.

The mother of his sons was Delores “Dee Dee” Martes, whom Jackson married in 1972 and divorced in 1988.

She was found dead in a swimming pool in 1994, at the age of 39. Her death was initially thought to be an accident, but her boyfriend Donald Bohana was later charged with murder and later, in 1998, found guilty of second-degree murder.

He was granted early release in December 2022 after serving 24 years in prison.

The Jackson 5 was formed in 1964 by founding members Tito (born Toriano Adaryll) – Jackie and Jermaine. Shortly after, younger brothers Marlon and Michael joined.

Tito started playing guitar at the age of 10, after his father Joe caught him experimenting with his own musical instrument and breaking a string.

Joe demanded that Tito play for him and later bought him his own guitar.

The 10 Jackson children sang regularly and Joe was inspired to form the family band with them.

Joe was their manager and entered the band into local talent shows.

Jackson was particularly strict with them as a manager, insisting that his children call him by his first name and not his father.

After local appearances and competitions, Jackson eventually booked them into increasingly reputable venues, eventually landing the band a spot at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, where they won an amateur night and subsequently a Motown recording contract.

In 1969, the Jackson 5 signed with Motown Records in Detroit and scored several hits, including the number one singles “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There.” Tito’s impressive guitar playing was a key part of the band’s success.

The Jackson 5 became the first American group to have their first four singles hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Randy, the youngest Jackson brother, replaced Jermaine in the mid-1970s when the group left Motown and became The Jacksons on CBS. Jermaine stayed behind and began a solo career.

In 2001, Jackson reunited with his brothers for a special Michael Jackson 30th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden.

Michael was involved with the original Jackson 5 until 1983, after which he began to focus on his successful career as a solo artist.

Tito had a close relationship with Michael and vigorously defended him when he was confronted with allegations of child abuse. Jackson was acquitted of all 14 charges against him in 2005.

In 2019, the documentary Leaving Neverland was released, in which Wade Robson and James Safechuck both alleged that Michael had abused them as young boys.

Safechuck was 10 years old when he met Jackson on the set of a Pepsi ad in 1986. He claims that Jackson, who has denied all allegations of child sexual abuse his entire life, showered him with gifts while providing for both him and his family.

Robson, an Australian, was five when he first met Jackson after he won a dance competition in Brisbane. He alleged he suffered similar abuse.

Tito refused to watch the documentary, saying in 2021: “I’ve never seen a Michael Jackson movie or documentary or anything like that because I know it’s all bullshit.

But the people who infected it may want it to remain infected.

“It’s a crazy situation and I think it has something to do with his popularity, that they want to add some ugliness to it or tarnish his image.

“Social media doesn’t help, as it sometimes does, but it (his legacy) will never be tarnished because the truth always prevails and it always will. I don’t care what they say, it always will. It’s almost like ‘what’s next? Who’s next?’

Tito began a solo career as a blues musician in 2003 and released two albums: Tito Time in 2016 and Under Your Spell in 2021.

Tito Time spawned the successful solo single Get It Baby feat. Big Daddy Kane.

He let go Love One Another from Under Your Spell featuring brother Marlon Jackson, Kenny Neal, Bobby Rush and Stevie Wonder.

During his career he was nominated for a Grammy Award three times and in 1997 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Jackson 5.

Last month, Jackson reflected on his brother Michael’s words The Mirror: ‘The world wasn’t kind to Michael at all. I don’t know why. I always said if we didn’t have him, we’d miss him.

“His death was such a great tragedy. The world has definitely missed out on a lot of good things from him, because he wasn’t just a musician or an artist, he was a loving person. He loved to give.”

“I don’t have time to wrap my head around it. We know ourselves and we know each other. It just makes me angry. There’s not that many people I trust. Learning about this business… Well, there’s a lot of rich people in show business who aren’t artists, so you wonder how they got all their wealth.