The Tito Jackson 5 founding member and Michael Jackson’s older brother passed away on Sunday, September 15, from a suspected heart attack while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma, a family friend and former Jackson family manager Steve Manning told ET.
An official cause of de@th has not yet been determined.
Tito was last pictured on September 9 in Munich, Germany six days before his de@th, ahead of a performance by The Jacksons featuring brothers Jackie and Marlon Jackson.
Tito is survived by his three sons Taj, 41, Taryll, 39, and TJ, 46 – and nine grandchildren.
His sons’ mother was Delores ‘Dee Dee’ Martes who Jackson wed in 1972 and divorced in 1988.
She was found d3ad in a swimming pool in 1994 aged 39. While her d3ath was originally ruled accidental, her boyfriend Donald Bohana was subsequently charged with murdering her and later found guilty of second-degree murder in 1998.
He was granted parole in December 2022 after serving 24 years.
The Jackson 5 formed in 1964, with founding members Tito – born Toriano Adaryll – Jackie and Jermaine; younger brothers Marlon and Michael joined soon after.