Tito Jackson, who sang and danced with brothers Michael, Jermaine, Jackie, and Marlon as a founding member of the family group Jackson 5, died Sunday. He was 70.
Steve Manning, a longtime friend of the family, told Entertainment Tonight that Jackson died while traveling while driving on a road trip, but a cause of death has yet to be determined. Tito’s nephew, Siggy Jackson, also confirmed the news to People.
Tito had been performing with brothers Jackie Jackson and Marlon as the renewed The Jacksons this past summer and had performed as recently as Sept. 8 in Surrey, England. Over the past two decades, he also recorded as a blues guitarist under his own name or with the B.B. King Blues Band.
As an original founding member of the iconic Jackson 5, the revered family pop group had hit songs such as “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” and “I’ll Be There” throughout the late Sixties and early Seventies. The band, which later included Randy Jackson, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Michael, who died in 2009, is the only member from the original lineup of five brothers to have preceded Tito in death.
Earlier this week, while Tito was in Munich, Germany, with the Jacksons, the group visited the “beautiful” memorial dedicated to “our beloved brother,” Michael Jackson, Tito wrote in a Facebook post. “We’re deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive.”
This story is developing