Known by fans as the laid back brother, Tito Jackson (right) played a key role in the creation of the Jackson Five.
The first family of music has lost another royal prince.
Tito Jackson, member of the Jackson Five and The Jacksons, passed away at 70-years old of an apparent heart attack while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma, according to longtime family friend and family manager, Steve Manning.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us,” his three sons Taj, Taryll and T.J. Jackson said via Instagram. “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 to ‘Love One Another.’ We love you Pops.”
While the spotlight shone brighter on little brother Michael Jackson and baby sister Janet Jackson, many believe that the Jackson Five and the superstar solo careers would not have existed without the second eldest son.
Born Toriano Adaryll Jackson on Oct. 15, 1953, “Tito” was the third of 10 children born to Katherine Scruse Jackson and Joseph Walter Jackson.
He had an older sister Maureen “Rebbie” Jackson and an older brother Sigmund “Jackie” Jackson.”
Jermaine Jackson, LaToya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Brandon Jackson, Michael Jackson, Steven “Randy” Jackson and Janet Jackson followed.
Marlon’s twin brother Brandon died shortly after birth in March 1957.
Born into a musical family, Jackson’s mother dabbled in country and western music, while his father and his uncle Luther Jackson performed in a blues band called The Falcons.
While waiting on his big break in the music industry, Joe Jackson worked at steel mill in Gary, Ind.
He would perform with The Falcons during his off hours.
Known as a strict father and disclination, Joe Jackson warned his children never to touch his guitar.
However, telling a child not to touch something often equates to giving them permission to touch it because of the curious nature of many children.
Therefore, Tito would pick up the guitar as a child and learn songs from the radio by ear.
When Tito accidentally broke one of the strings on his father’s guitar, his father disciplined him physically and warned him if he could not play the guitar effectively, he would get another beating.
However, when Joe finally heard Tito play the guitar with Jermaine and Jackie joining him vocally, he decided to start a musical group with his three oldest sons.
Initially, the family thought Marlon and Michael were too young to join the group.
But when the family heard Michael sing at a school function at his elementary school in Gary, Ind., he, and Marlon officially joined what would later be known as the Jackson Five.
Michael became the lead singer with Jermaine taking lead vocals occasionally.
The group signed with Motown Records in 1968 and became the first group to have their first four nationally released singles top the Billboard pop charts.
Motown began launching the solo careers of Michael, Jermaine and Jackie in 1971, 1972 and 1973, respectively.
Meanwhile, Tito seemed content to play his role as a guitarist and background vocalist.
Before the Jackson Five left Motown for Epic Records, rechristening themselves as The Jacksons, Motown had planned on a solo album of instrumentals by the group’s guitarist.
Despite that project never materializing, Tito began making his own individual marks on the family’s musical dynasty.
He sang lead on The Jacksons’ song “We Can Change the World” from the “Victory” album in 1984.
The singer also began producing for his sisters Rebbie, Janet and LaToya.
After Michael and Marlon left The Jacksons to focus on their solo careers, the brothers released one final album entitled “2300 Jackson Street” in 1989, an ode to their childhood address in Gary, Ind.
Before The Jacksons reunited in 2001 for Michael’s 30th solo anniversary and for the Unity Tour in 2012, Tito became known as the father of the R&B group 3T, which consisted of his three sons.
Signed to their uncle Michael’s record label MJJ Music, 3T scored a huge hit in 1995 with the single “Anything.”
Unfortunately, Tito became source material for many comedians in the 1980s and 1990s.
Even in the early 2000s, people like sports commentator Charles Barkley continued to poke fun at Tito because of his lack of a star role in the family business.
On TNT, Barkley once said that Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat was Michael Jackson playing with a bunch of Tito Jackson.
And for a while, Tito was the only Jackson sibling to have never placed a solo recording on the Billboard charts.
Thanks to the song “Get it Baby” featuring rapper Big Daddy Kane, that all changed in 2016 when Tito finally had a solo hit song.
Tito had always dreamed of becoming a blues musician.
However, the pop music of the Jackson Five paid the bills.
But his dreams of blues music success came true when Gladys Knight hired his blues band as the opening act for one of her concert tours.
When blues legend B.B. King died, his band hired Tito to replace the legend as the lead singer for their live performances.
While continuing to tour with The Jacksons, Tito released two solo albums.
The R&B inspired “Tito Time,” which contained the single “Get it Baby,” dropped in 2016.
The name “Tito Time” comes from a comment he made during an episode of The Jacksons’ reality show, “The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty.”
And he finally released a blues album with “Under Your Spell” in 2021, featuring the single “Love One Another” featuring his brother Marlon, Bobby Rush and his cousin Stevie Wonder.
Known for wearing a bowler hat, he also launched a hat line called Toriano.
He continued touring with The Jacksons up until his death, with the group planning a new album and docuseries for 2025.
Tito is preceded in death by his father Joseph, brother Michael and ex-wife Delores “Dee Dee” Jackson, the mother of Taryll, Taj and T.J. Jackson (3T).
