Tito Jackson, singer and guitarist of the Jackson 5, has died at age 70

Tito Jackson, a founding Jackson 5 member who became a teen heartthrob in the 1970s with his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Michael and sang hits like “ABC” and “I'll Be There,” has died, family said. . He was 70 years old.

His three sons — Taj, Teryl and TJ — announced his death early Monday on an Instagram account dedicated to their music group, 3T. The statement did not say when, where or how he died.

“Some of you may know him as Tito Jackson from the legendary Jackson 5, some as 'Coach Tito' or some as 'Pappa T,'” the statement read. “Still, he will be sorely missed.”

The Jackson 5, briefly one of the most popular boy bands in the United States, was responsible for launching the solo career of Michael Jackson, who earned the title “King of Pop” and became one of the most imitated musicians of all time. The Time singer, songwriter and dancer died in 2009 at the age of 50.

The story of the Jackson 5, Gary, from their humble beginnings in India to their various levels of success, has been well documented and was the subject of a five-hour mini-series in 1992 called “The Jacksons: An American Dream”.

Born Toriano Adaryl Jackson in Gary to Joe and Katherine Jackson, Mr. Jackson is primarily remembered as a guitarist in the group, a skill he picked up from his father. The elder Mr. Jackson died in 2018.

In a 2019 interview with Vlad TV, Tito Jackson said that as a child he regularly played his father's guitar behind his back.

“One day I broke the string and I didn't know what to do about it,” he said. “He came home and found that the string was broken and was really upset about it.”

After punishing him, Mr Jackson said, his father told him to demonstrate what he knew. His father gave him that guitar with instructions to learn every song on the radio.

The family soon formed the Jackson Brothers, a group that included young Michael, who was given a spot in a talent show after impressing the family by performing “Climb Every Mountain.” The band's name was later changed to The Jackson 5 after someone suggested it after a performance at a wedding.

The Jackson 5 were household names in the 1970s, regularly appearing on television, sometimes alongside Cher or Diana Ross. Their music—through more than a dozen albums—has provided a soundtrack for a younger generation and fueled a level of fandom perhaps now reserved only for elite pop stars like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

“I remember the first time we went to the UK and we had 10,000 screaming fans to greet us at the airport,” Mr Jackson told Sister Circle TV in 2019. “I got lost at the airport and 1,000 fans were chasing me, pulling everywhere. It was crazy.”

Three of the Jackson 5's biggest songs, “ABC,” “I Want You Back” and “I'll Be There,” have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 1997 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside The Bee Gees.

Mr. Jackson continued to work in the music business over the years, releasing a solo album, “Tito Time,” in 2016 and touring with some of his brothers. The group, now known as The Jacksons, was scheduled to perform in Atlantic City, NJ in October and Cincinnati in November.

“We've always said that the fans make the artists,” Mr Jackson told Sister Circle TV. “We go to work, we do music and we do all these other things, but it's actually the fans who love it and buy it.”