Jackson 5 star Tito Jackson dies aged 70
Tito Jackson, an original member of The Jackson 5 and brother of Michael Jackson, has died aged 70.
He found fame with siblings Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael – who went on to become a pop megastar and died in 2009.
The group had hits in the 1970s including ABC, I Want You Back, Blame It On The Boogie, and I’ll Be There.
Tito – the third of nine Jackson children – played guitar and provided backing vocals.
(L-R) Tito, Jackie, Marlon, Michael and Jermaine Jackson in 1977. Pic: Sipa/Shutterstock
He was also the last of the siblings to do a solo project, releasing album Tito Time in 2016.
Tito was still touring with brothers Jackie and Marlon and they played a festival in the UK earlier this month.
His death was announced “with heavy hearts” by sons Taj, Taryll and TJ Jackson – who found fame themselves in the group 3T in the 1990s.
“We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken,” they wrote on Instagram.
“Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their wellbeing.”
They added: “He will be missed tremendously. It will forever be ‘Tito Time” for us.
“Please remember to do what our father always preached and that is ‘Love One Another.’ We love you Pops.”
Tito was often called the quietest member of the group and as well as his work with his brothers, continued to play with a blues band.
He was also a judge on BBC singing show Just The Two Of Us in 2006.
Tito and Michael Jackson in 1984. Pic: AP
The nine Jackson siblings also include sisters Janet, LaToya and Rebbie, as well as brother Randy.
The Jackson 5 formed in Indiana in 1964 and were managed by their father, Joe Jackson.
(L-R) Marlon, Jackie, La Toya, Janet, Randy, Tito and Michael Jackson during a 1975 appearance at the Millrun Playhouse Theater. Pic: Everett/Shutterstock
They became a sensation – and are often cited as one of the original boy bands – after having four straight number one singles in the US at the turn of the decade.
Four studio albums and an estimated 150 million worldwide sales followed – with the group inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Their success provided the launchpad for star member Michael to break out and begin solo work while still with the Jackson 5.
He eventually left the group in 1984 after the huge success of his Thriller album.
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The group enjoyed major success in the 1970s. Pic: AP
Tito played in the UK with The Jacksons on 8 September at the Boogietown Festival in Surrey.
Their most recent show was in Munich in Germany last Tuesday.
Tito posted a Facebook message from the city and said the family had visited a memorial to Michael.
He wrote: “Before our show in Munich, my brothers Jackie, Marlon, and I, visited the beautiful memorial dedicated to our beloved brother, Michael Jackson.
“We’re deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive,” he wrote.
Tito is survived by his three sisters, four brothers and their mother Katherine.
It’s 5.30am, but the car park outside a laundrette in south central Los Angeles is already bustling.
A woman is setting up a stand selling tacos on the pavement and the sun is beginning to rise behind the palm trees.
A group of seven women and two men are gathered in a circle, most wearing khaki green t-shirts.
The leader, a man named Francisco “Chavo” Romero, begins by asking how everyone is feeling. “Angry,” a few of them respond. “Proud of the community for pushing back,” says another.
Ron, a high school history teacher, issues a rallying cry. “This is like Vietnam,” he says. “We’re taking losses, but in the end we’re going to win. It’s a war.”
Francisco ‘Chavo’ Romero leads a volunteer group, attempting to warn people ahead of ICE raids
This is what the resistance against Donald Trump’s immigration policy looks like here. In the past month, immigration and customs enforcement agents – known as ICE – have intensified their raids on homes and workplaces across Los Angeles.
Since the beginning of June, nearly 2,800 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in the city, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The previous monthly high was just over 850 arrests in May this year.
Police use tear gas against protesters, angry at a recent immigration raid at a farm in Camarillo, California. Pic: AP
Videos have circulated online of people being tackled to the ground in the car park of DIY shops, in car washes and outside homes. The videos have prompted outrage, protests and a fightback.
“Chavo” and Ron belong to a group of organised volunteers called Union del Barrio. Every morning, a group of them meet, mostly in areas which have high immigrant populations.
The day I meet them, they’re in an area of LA which is heavily Latino. Armed with walkie talkies to communicate with each other, megaphones to warn the community and leaflets to raise awareness they set out in cars in different directions.
A volunteer from Union del Barrio shows Sky’s Martha Kelner how they try to stay one step ahead of ICE agents
They’re looking for cars used by ICE agents to monitor “targets”.
“That vehicle looks a little suspicious,” says Ron, pointing out a white SUV with blacked-out windows, “but there’s nobody in it”.
An elderly Latino man is standing on a street corner, cutting fruit to sell at his stall. “He’s the exact target that they’re looking for,” Ron says. “That’s what they’re doing now. The low-hanging fruit, the easy victim. And so that is proving to be more successful for their quotas.”
This man, selling fruit on a street corner in LA, is a potential target of immigration agents
In the end, it turns out to be a quiet morning in this part of LA, no brewing immigration operations. But elsewhere in the city, dawn raids are happening.
ICE agents are under pressure from the White House to boost their deportation numbers in line with Donald Trump’s campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
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In June, tear gas and rubber bullets were fired at protestors demonstrating against immigration raids
Maria’s husband Javier was one of those arrested in LA. He came to the United States from Mexico when he was 19 and is now 58.
The couple have three grown-up children and two grandchildren. But Javier’s work permit expired two years ago, according to Maria and so he was living here illegally.
Maria’s husband Javier was arrested after his work permit expired
She shows me a video taken last month when Javier was at work at a car wash in Pomona, an area of LA. He is being handcuffed and arrested by armed and masked ICE agents, forced into a car. He is now being held at a detention centre two hours away.
“I know they’re doing their job,” she says, “but it’s like, ‘you don’t have to do it like that.’ Getting them and, you know, forcing people and pushing them down on the ground. They’re not animals.”
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Maria wipes away tears as she explains the impact of his absence for the past four weeks. “It’s been so hard without him,” she says. “You feel alone when you get used to somebody and he’s not there any more. We’ve never been apart for as long as this.”
The family have a lawyer and is appealing for him to remain in the US, but Maria fears he will be sent back to Mexico or even a third country.
Maria fears her husband, who has lived in the US for nearly 40 years, will be sent back to Mexico
“I don’t know what to say to my grandkids because the oldest one, who is five was very attached to his papas, as he calls him. And he’s asking me, ‘When is papa coming home?’ and I don’t know what to say. He’s not a criminal.”
The fear in immigrant communities can be measured by the empty restaurant booths and streets that are far quieter than usual.
People in LA are being asked to report sightings of ICE officials so others can be warned
I meet Soledad at the Mexican restaurant she owns in Hollywood. When I arrive, she’s watching the local news on the TV as yet another raid unfolds at a nearby farm.
She’s shaking her head as ICE agents face off with protesters and military helicopters hover overhead. “I am scared. I am very scared,” she says.
All of her eight employees are undocumented, and four of them are too scared to come into work, she says, in case they get arrested. The process to get papers, she says, is too long and too expensive.
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Soledad, who owns a Mexican restaurant, plans to hide her illegal workers if immigration officials arrive
“They call me and tell me they are too afraid to come in because immigration is around,” she says.
“I have to work double shifts to be able to make up for their hours, and yes, I am very desperate, and sometimes I cry… We have no sales, and no money to pay their wages.”
There is just one woman eating fajitas at a booth, where there would usually be a lunchtime rush. People are chilled by the raids.
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Soledad says she plans to hide her illegal workers if immigration officials arrive.
“I’ve told them, get inside the fridge, hide behind the stove, climb up where we have a space to store boxes, do not run because they will hunt you down.”
The White House says they’re protecting the country from criminals. ICE agents have been shot at while carrying out operations, their work becoming more dangerous by the day.
The tension here is ratcheting up. Deportation numbers are rising too. But the order from Donald Trump is to arrest even more people living here illegally.
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