Tito Jackson, singer and co-founding member of the Jackson 5, has died at the age of 70.
“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,” his family announced in a statement late Sunday, September 15th. According to Entertainment Tonight, Jackson died after suffering an apparent heart attack.
Tito was the third of the Jackson family’s nine children and the older brother of Michael and Janet. Alongside his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael, he achieved worldwide fame as a member of the Jackson 5. Upon their debut in 1968, the Motown group released four consecutive No. 1 singles — “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There” — becoming the first act to accomplish such a feat. In total, they achieved 17 top 10 singles in just five years and sold more than 60 million records worldwide by 1975.
In the mid-1970s, the group departed Motown Records, added younger brother Randy to the lineup, and rebranded themselves as The Jacksons. In 1975, the entire Jackson family starred in their own television variety series on CBS. In 1978, The Jacksons released Destiny, their first album recorded with full creative control, followed by Triumph in 1980.
By the early 1980s, Michael shifted his focus to his solo career. The brothers reunited in 1984 to release the album Victory and embarked on a world tour, but the comeback was brief. Michael and Marlon soon left the group, and Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, and Randy released one final album before disbanding in 1989.
Following Michael’s death, Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, and Marlon reunited for “The Unity Tour” in 2012 and continued to perform together in the years that followed.