Tito Jackson, pictured here, attends the diamond anniversary party for his late brother Michael Jackson on August 29, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

David Becker/Getty Images

hide caption

switch caption

David Becker/Getty Images

Tito Jackson, who formed the beloved and hugely popular band Jackson 5 with four brothers, has died at the age of 70.

His sons – Taj, Taryll and TJ – announced his death Monday morning on the Instagram page of their R&B band, 3T. They did not specify how, where or when Jackson died.

“Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being,” they wrote. “Some of you may know him as Tito Jackson of the legendary Jackson 5, some may know him as ‘Coach Tito’ or some may know him as ‘Poppa T.’ Regardless, he will be greatly missed.”

Toriano Adaryll Jackson was born on October 15, 1953, in Gary, Indiana. He was the third of nine children, all of whom eventually pursued careers in music or other entertainment industries.

The Jackson Five, photographed here in the United Kingdom in 1972, consisted of the Jackson brothers (left to right) Jermaine, Tito, Jackie, Michael and Marlon (Randy, who would join the group later that decade when it became the Jacksons, is in the background).

Evening Standard/Getty Images

hide caption

switch caption

Evening Standard/Getty Images

At age nine, Jackson began singing and performing in talent shows, including one at the Apollo Theater, with his brothers — Michael, Jackie, Jermaine and Marlon — in a band known as The Jackson Brothers. Led by their father Joe Jackson, the quintet was signed to Motown Records in 1968. The Jackson 5’s first hit with the label, “I Want You Back,” was released in 1969 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. Their next three singles were just as big: “ABC”, “I’ll Be There” and “The Love You Save”, all topped the pop chart before the end of the year.

In a 2018 interview, Tito Jackson said that the group’s younger members, despite being signed to Motown, were unable to write or produce their own music. And while Jackson was a guitarist in the band, having played the instrument since he was 10, he did not play on any of their Motown albums.

“I understood that the guys in the studio were better than me. I was just a teenager. We copied pretty well what they did on stage. We didn’t have any tracks or samples back then,” he said.

That changed when they signed to Epic Records in 1976 under a new name, the Jacksons; Tito co-wrote the hit songs “Everybody” and “We Can Change The World” on albums such as Triumph And Victory.

Tito and his siblings would find success outside of the group. It notably served as a springboard for Michael Jackson’s iconic solo career. Other siblings, including Janet, would also build their own musical legacies.

In 1997, Tito was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Jackson 5. During his career, he was also nominated for a Grammy three times.

During a 2021 interview, Jackson said he was inspired to make music as a child after watching his father and uncle play the blues every weekend.

He was the last of the Jackson brothers to pursue a solo career. In 2016, he released Tito Time, which contained a single, “Get It Baby”, featuring Big Daddy Kane and which reached number 20 on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart. His second album, Under your spell, released in 2021, showed his blues influences. The single “Love One Another” was a collaboration with his brother Marlon, and also featured Stevie Wonder, Bobby Rush and Kenny Neal.

“Now that I’m older, my kids are out of the house and grown up,” he said at the time. “I don’t have to raise kids, you know? I got married a week after high school and I just wanted to be there. Be a husband and be a father. And I had The Jackson 5, which kept me very busy. I didn’t see the point in pursuing a solo career, but now it’s my time.”

In their announcement of his death, Tito’s sons urged his fans to remember “what our father always preached, namely, ‘Love one another.'”

“It will always be ‘Tito time’ for us,” they wrote.