Tito Jackson was a huge part of the formation of the Jackson 5 (Picture: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)
Tito Jackson has died aged 70, leaving behind an incredible legacy as a founding member of the Jackson 5.
The eldest brother of Michael Jackson died on September 16, just weeks after taking to the stage with Jackie and Marlon Jackson at Fool In Love Festival in California.
He is seen as the spark for the Jackson 5, after dad Joe caught him playing his guitar after breaking a string.
He impressed his father, and was bought his own guitar, with Jackie and Jermaine joining him in the original lineup thanks to their strong vocals.
How did the Jackson 5 start?
‘Tito, Jermaine and I started the group. We were just fooling around on guitar and bass and then one day Michael joined us, playing bongos on a Quaker oatmeal box,’ Jackie recalled in 2018 memoir The Jacksons: legacy.
‘He played them so well, we thought he should be part of the group. As soon as we did that, he started dancing up in front, doing his James Brown thing.’
Marlon and Michael soon joined to form what was now the Jackson 5, and after years of honing their skills and chemistry at home, they started entering talent competitions.
His guitar playing skills were a key part of the group’s success (Picture: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
By 1969, they entered a contest at New York’s Apollo Theatre and scored a Motown recording contract, which the five of them signed that year.
Despite his talents as a guitarist, Motown actually insisted on session musicians, meaning he only contributed vocals until the band left the label for Epic in 1976.
How many siblings did Tito Jackson have?
His guitar playing added so much to the band (Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Tito was the eldest brother of Michael, and the third oldest of Joe and Katherine Jackson’s 10 children together.
Before Tito, they welcomed daughters Rebbie and Jackie, while Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon and Brandon all followed before Michael was born in 1958.
Three years later, Tito’s brother Randy was born, followed by Janet in 1966, and Joh’Vonnie in eight years later.
What was Tito Jackson’s cause of death?
At this time, no cause of death has been confirmed.
What were Tito Jackson’s Wolverhampton links?
Tito loved Wolves (Picture: Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images)
Tito was a huge fan of Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers, and even wanted to move to the city at one point.
He told Mostly Jazz Festival in 2019: ‘I was moving to Wolverhampton , which is still on my bucket list, it’s just a matter of touring and recording and performing so much, that I haven’t been able to.’
His love for the club sparked a desire to live in the city (Picture: Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images)
Two years earlier, he was invited to watch Wolves at the Molineux and step out onto the pitch to promote his solo album Tito Time, which sparked his love for the club.
The link to the team actually came from Lawson Slater, a member of his management team who lived in the city.
When did Tito Jackson’s solo career begin?
Tito began his solo career in 2003, with his first hit coming 13 years later with Get It Baby.
Tito Time came out that same year in Japan, before hitting the US and UK the following year, while he returned with his second and final solo LP Under Your Spell in 2021, which spawned the single Love One Another.
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