By Cynthia Charlene Greason
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson (October 15, 1953 – September 15, 2024) was an American musician. He was a founding member of the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons), who rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s with the Motown label and later had continued success with the group on the Epic label in the late 1970s and 1980s. Tito began a solo career in 2003 performing as a blues musician. Throughout his career, he was nominated for three Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Jackson 5.
In June 1972, Jackson married Delores “Dee Dee” Martes at the age of 18, and the couple divorced in 1988. In 1994, Martes was found deceased floating in a swimming pool. The death was originally ruled accidental. Later, Los Angeles businessman Donald Bohana was charged with and, in 1998, found guilty of second-degree murder.
The couple had three sons—Taj (born 1973), Taryll (born 1975), and TJ (born 1978)—who comprise the R&B/pop group 3T. Jackson had nine grandchildren.
On September 15, 2024, Jackson suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 70 in Gallup, New Mexico. Jackson was on a road trip with his business partner Terry Harvey to transport Jackson’s antique cars from California to his new residence in Claremore, Oklahoma when he began sweating and complaining of chest pains. Gallup police stated they were alerted to Jackson being in need of medical attention near a mall before he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
