The second-born member of one of the most iconic groups of the twentieth century, Jackson 5’s Tito Jackson, passed away on September 15, 2024, exactly a month before his 71st birthday. After a thoroughly lived life, Jackson died of a heart attack while driving from New Mexico to his home in Oklahoma. The Jackson 5 was popularized in the 70s with hits like “ABC” and “I’ll Be There,” and went on to launch the solo career of brother and “King of Pop” Micheal Jackson, who was the first of the group to pass in 2009. Although not as decorated as his brother, Micheal, or sister, Janet, Tito Jackson is one of the most talented and legendary faces to come out of Northwest Indiana and hold a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Tito Jackson was the original guitar player for the Jackson 5, but upon the growth of the band’s popularity, was prevented from fulfilling that role in favor of session musicians. During the height of Micheal Jackson’s career, Tito took a leave of absence from producing new music to raise a family. He did not release any new music until the twenty-first century, when he published singles and albums such as “Tito Time” and “Under Your Spell.” Straying from but never abandoning the pop-style of the Jackson 5, Tito pursued blues music and was nominated for a Grammy Award three times. Even though not as widely recognized as his siblings Micheal and Janet, Tito’s dedication and talent for music could never possibly go unappreciated.
Before the rise of the Jackson 5, Tito performed in a Gary, Indiana-based band called The Jackson Brothers, which performed locally and (obviously) won many talent shows in and around their hometown. As the band gained popularity around Gary, The Jackson Brothers made their way to Manhattan’s Apollo Theater, ultimately catapulting the group to success. They formed a partnership with Motown Records, one of the most famous and successful record companies of all time, and became the Jackson 5 we know today. Tito co-wrote and recorded all of the popular Jackson 5 songs, including “I’ll Be There,” which holds the title as the best selling single in Motown Records’ history.
It says a lot about the family dynamic of the Jackson’s and the dominant characteristics of its members that the Jackson 5 never truly split. Even after Micheal Jackson’s revolutionary success or the other siblings’ solo careers, the Jackson brothers continued to perform together around the world. Even during his seemingly stagnant years, Tito Jackson never forsook music. He instilled the same essence he did in the Jackson 5 into his independent musical career, as well as in his other band, the BB King Blues Band. Not only is his legacy transcended through his music, but also through his three sons, Taj, Taryll, and TJ, who also make music under the name 3T. This love of music as well as talent for it seems to run through the blood of the Jackson family, Indiana’s most legendary natives. The influence of such natural proclivity was and still is not lost on the world, especially in Northwest Indiana, where the Jackson family continues to be adored by even the newest generations of the region’s people.
“It’s really sad,” says CHS freshman Lauren Orsburn. “I grew up listening to them with my grandma, mostly at Christmas time. She was really proud because she also grew up in Gary around them at the same time.”
To be a part of something so monumental from birth to death is not something that many people can say they have achieved. The hole that Tito Jackson’s death has created is nothing compared to the mark he made on American music alongside his family, and that family camaraderie might possibly be the biggest feat of all. For generations, and for generations to come, the Jackson family has brightened lives with their music and instilled pride in everyone who could say they knew them. From Gary to Lake County to Indiana to the United States to the world at large, the memories of Tito Jackson are only fond. As for humble beginnings to rapturous finales, the Jackson family comes to mind as one of the most inspiring stories. As heartbreaking as it is to lose such a star, the biggest disappointment would be never knowing of Tito and his family at all. It can be said for every resident of Northwest Indiana that we are proud to have produced such a star.
