Tito Jackson, of the legendary Jackson 5 R&B group, dead at age 70
R&B music fans are in mourning after a member of the legendary Jackson family passed away this week.
Tito Jackson, a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer from the Jackson 5 group and an older brother of pop superstars Michael and Janet Jackson, has died at the age of 70, according to NPR.
Sons reveal death of beloved father
Jackson's death was announced Monday by his three sons -- Taj, Taryll, and TJ -- on the official social media account of their R&B band 3T, and they said, "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," the brothers continued. "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."
The grieving sons added, "Please remember to do what our father always preached and that is 'Love One Another.' We love you Pops."
Reportedly succumbed to an unspecified "medical episode" in New Mexico
Jackson's sons did not provide any details about their father's death but a local media outlet in New Mexico, KOB, reported that Jackson is believed to have suffered an unspecified fatal "medical episode" in the city of Gallup on Sunday, according to the local police.
Shortly after 6 pm, a Gallup PD officer was flagged down near the American Heritage Plaza and informed of someone who needed medical attention and an ambulance, and paramedics arrived shortly thereafter to transport the individual to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
The police later revealed that the individual was 70-year-old Tito Jackson and that an investigation was ongoing. The Gallup PD said in a statement, "Investigators are actively interviewing witnesses and examining both physical and electronic records. The Department’s understanding of the facts and circumstances may evolve as additional evidence is gathered analyzed."
A member of the Hall of Famer Jackson 5 family
NPR reported that Tito Jackson was born in 1953 as Toriano Adaryll Jackson and was the third of nine siblings in the eventually famous musically-inclined family.
He, along with his four brothers -- Michael, Jackie, Jermaine, and Marlon -- began singing and competing in talent shows at a young age and formed an R&B group initially known as The Jackson Brothers that was managed by their father, Joe Jackson.
After signing with Motown Records in 1968, the band was redubbed with the Jackson 5 moniker and went on to record and release several Billboard chart-topping hits throughout the 1970s, and also spawned individual solo careers of varying success for most of the brothers as well as their sisters, with Michael and Janet arguably achieving the greatest levels of fame.
Tito, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a member of the Jackson 5, had been nominated for three Grammy Awards over the course of his music career.
Focused on raising his family more than making music
According to NPR, Tito Jackson was the last of his siblings to launch a solo career, just within the past decade, as he focused first on being a good husband and father and raising his sons instead of his music for several decades.
"Now I’m older, my kids are gone and grown. I don’t have to raise kids, you know?" he explained in a 2021 interview. "I got married a week out of high school and I basically wanted to be there. Be a husband and be a father. And I had The Jackson 5 that kept me tremendously busy. I didn’t see any sense in chasing a solo career on top of that, but now it’s my time."