(CelebrityAccess) — Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson, a singer and musician best known as a member of the legendary Motown group, the Jackson 5, has died. He was 70.
His death was announced by his family on social media:
“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. Some of you may know him as Tito Jackson from the legendary Jackson 5, some may know him as ‘Coach Tito’ or some know him as ‘Poppa T.’ Nevertheless, he will be missed tremendously.”
The family did not provide a cause of death but Jackson’s manager and longtime family friend Steve Manning told Entertainment Tonight that Jackson died on Sunday while traveling from New Mexico to Oklahoma and may have suffered a heart attack.
Born Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson in Gary, Indiana, Jackson found fame as a member of the Jackson 5 alongside of his brothers Jermaine, Randy, Marlon, and Michael.
In the 1980s, Jackson worked as a session musician and record producer before launching a solo career as a blues artist in the early 2000s.
However, he didn’t produce his first commercially successful single as a solo artist until 2016 with the release of “Get It Baby”, featuring Big Daddy Kane from his album Tito Time.
Tito, along with the other original members of the Jackson 5 were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
