Tito Jackson, a musician known for being one of the founding members of the Jackson 5, has died at age 70. No official cause of death was immediately released.
Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, which includes global superstars Michael and sister Janet, part of a music-making family whose songs are still beloved today.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 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 sons TJ, Taj and Taryll said in a statement posted on Instagram late Sunday.
The Jackson 5 included brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The family group, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, produced several No. 1 hits in the 1970s including "ABC," “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.”
The Jackson 5 became one of the biggest names in music under the guidance of their father, Joe Jackson, a steelworker and guitar player who supported his wife and nine children in Gary, Indiana. As the family’s music careers took off, they relocated to California.
Born on Oct. 15, 1953, Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson was the least-heard member of the group as a background singer who played guitar. His brothers launched solo careers, including Michael, who became one of the world's biggest performers known as The King of Pop.
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Michael Jackson died at age 50 on June 25, 2009.
