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Member of legendary family music group dies at age 70
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Member of legendary family music group dies at age 70

Tito Jackson, one of the original members of the Jackson 5 and brother of Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, has died at the age of 70.

The news was announced Sunday night in a social media post by Tito Jackson’s children. Steve Manning, a longtime Jackson family friend and former Jackson family manager, told Entertainment Tonight that he believed Jackson suffered a heart attack. An official cause of death has not been released.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson. We are shocked, saddened, and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being,” Tito’s sons TJ, Taj, and Taryll wrote in the Instagram post.

Tito was born on October 15, 1953, the third of ten children of Joe and Catherine Jackson. He was an original member of the beloved band The Jackson 5, a group that originally consisted of Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael, before Randy replaced Jermaine in 1975.

The famous family group, led by young superstar Michael, released hits from the 1970s including “ABC,” “I Want You Back,” “I’ll Be There,” “Never Can Say Goodbye” and many more. The Jackson 5 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Tito released the solo albums “Tito Time” in 2016 and “Under Your Spell” in 2021.

The musician has been performing with his brothers Jackie and Marlon all summer, playing shows in California, Scotland and England. Their most recent performance was in Surrey, England on September 8. More shows, including one on October 25 in Atlantic City, are planned for the fall.

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Christopher Burch can be reached at [email protected]Follow him on Twitter: @SwishBurch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Do you have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips/.