Today marks one year since the world lost Toriano “Tito” Jackson, founding member of the Jackson 5, brother, father, and musician, who passed away on September 15, 2024 at age 70. It’s been a year of mourning, remembering, and celebrating a life defined more by heart than by spotlight.
Tito wasn’t always in the center of the stage like Michael, but his impact was unmissable. As guitarist and background vocalist in the Jackson 5, he helped cook up some of the earliest Motown classics: “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” “I’ll Be There.” Songs that still hit hard decades later. He also carved out a solo path; 2016’s Tito Time and 2021’s Under Your Spell showed us he still had creative fire.
His final days were both on tour and transitional. He’d been traveling with his brothers as The Jacksons, performing shows around the globe. Then on that September day in 2024, while driving in New Mexico on a trip back home toward his residence in Claremore, Oklahoma (hauling his collection of antique cars), Tito complained of chest pains. He was taken to a hospital in Gallup, NM, where he suffered a fatal heart attack.
Tito’s sons, Taj, TJ, and Taryll, announced his passing with heavy hearts, calling him an “incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being.” The Jackson family and fans worldwide continue to reckon with the loss, remembering the calm in his voice, the depth in his guitar, and the loyalty to family.
What made Tito special wasn’t just the hits or the fame. It was the unseen, the patience, the consistency. He was among the most grounded of the Jackson siblings, managing 3T (his sons’ group), leaning into blues, guiding his family’s legacy with a quiet grip.
A year later, the music still plays. The legacy still lives. We remember Tito not just for what he was on stage, but for who he was off it: a brother, father, musician. A man who built harmony in more ways than one.
Rest in peace, Tito. Your song carries on.