Michael Jackson's Older Brother Tito Jackson Dies

Tito Jackson, who was the third of ten children in the Jackson family, has died at the age of 70, Hello reported, citing family friend and manager Steve Manning.

According to him, Tito was heading from New Mexico to Oklahoma, but did not make it. The cause of death was not disclosed, but Steve assumed that Tito suffered a heart attack.

Tito, the older brother of Michael and Janet Jackson, played a key role in the family’s rise to fame. In their youth, he and his brothers (Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael) formed the Jackson 5, which had a major impact on the music scene of the late ’60s and ’70s. Tito was the guitarist and vocalist in the group. Despite performing with his brothers for many years, he also had a solo career in the blues, although he didn’t release his first commercially successful album until 2016.

Tito is survived by his three sons, Taj, Taryll, and TJ, who followed in his footsteps and formed the R&B/pop group 3T. Tito also has nine grandchildren.

It should be noted that Tito's two brothers, Michael and Jermaine, were accused of sexual abuse. Jermaine was accused by a woman named Rita Barrett, who said he broke into her home and assaulted her in 1988. As for Michael Jackson, he was accused of molesting minors at his Neverland ranch. The investigation was reopened last year. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, from a drug overdose. He was 50 years old.