Tito Jackson, Member of the Jackson 5, Dies at 70

Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, has died. He was 70.​

Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, which include global superstars Michael and sister Janet, part of a music-making family whose songs are still beloved today.​

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“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 sons TJ, Taj and Taryll said in a statement posted on Instagram late Sept 15.​

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.”​

(Left to right) Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson and Michael Jackson of the Jackson 5 in 1972.

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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.​

Michael Jackson died at age 50 on June 25, 2009.​

Speaking to The Associated Press in December 2009, Jackson said his younger brother’s death pulled the family closer together.​​

“I would say definitely it brought us a step closer to each other. To recognize that the love we have for each other when one of us is not here, what a great loss,” he said, adding he would personally never “be at peace with it.”​​