Tito Jackson, brother of the late Michael Jackson and co-founder of the Jackson 5, has died. He was 70 years old.
His family made the stunning announcement Sunday.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us,” Tito’s sons TJ, Taj and Taryll said in a statement on Instagram. “We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken.”
While an official cause of death has yet to be determined, Steve Manning, former Jackson family manager, told Entertainment Tonight, he believed the pop icon died of a heart attack while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma on Sunday.
Tito, born Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson in October 1953 and the third of 10 children, was the least-heard member of the Jackson 5 as he was a backup singer and played guitar for the group, while his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael were more prominently featured.
During their time as the Jackson 5, the family produced several No. 1 hits in the 1970s including “ABC,” “I Want You Back,” and “I’ll Be There.” They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Tito was last seen in Munich, Germany, on September 9, prior to a scheduled performance with his brothers Jackie and Marlon Jackson. The trio have two more performances left on their 2024 tour, however it’s unclear how The Jacksons will handle the upcoming shows.
“Some of you may know him as Tito Jackson from the legendary Jackson 5, some may know him as ‘Coach Tito’ or some know him as ‘Poppa T.’ Nevertheless, 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,” his sons wrote on their own music group’s Instagram page.
It is devastating to hear the news about Tito Jackson. May he rest in peace, and may his family find comfort in knowing that so many people are thinking of them during this extremely difficult time.
Uncovering the Mysteries of the Lake in Oklahoma
Residents of Oklahoma found a mysterious hard sac-like ‘egg’ hanging from the tree roots at the lake, but scientists are now calming the locals, who immediately jumped to conclusions of alien proportions, by explaining that it’s an ancient creature
These creatures have found the right space and environment, so its likely they’ll be around a lot this summer.
Locals in Oklahoma discovered large, jelly-like sacs with a hard exterior hanging from tree roots; they immediately thought the answer was extraterrestrial. Or at least not good news.
But scientists, reassuring the public, have said that the locals in the area got a rare treat – the glimpse of the reproductive system of an ancient animal that’s been around since before the dinosaurs.
Immediately, locals put it up online, and spectators began commenting on the extraterrestrial-looking eggs. But scientists say that the creatures were simple bryozoans. They’ve been around for hundreds of millions of years, before the first dinosaurs roamed the planet. The animals may actually be good news for the lake.
These bizarre creatures are actually hundreds of tiny bryozoans.
Officials reassured the public that the animals are absolutely supposed to be there
Bryozoans clone themselves into large masses to filter tiny particles out of the water for food, cleaning up the lake. The critters normally reside in ponds and lakes. This time, it was found in McGee Creek Reservoir, located on the southwest edge of the Ouachita Mountain Range.
Bryozoan clumps aren’t an egg or just one animal at all. They form this hard shell as they are hundreds of creatures banded together. The pods, known as zooids, are each a fraction of a millimeter long. They lack any respiratory or circulatory systems, but their central nerve ganglion allows the animal to respond to stimuli.
These pods are hanging from tree roots, and actually help clean the lake
The tiny invertebrates possess both male and female reproductive organs, allowing them to self-clone and spread through clumps of cells on the organism known as statoblasts.
Each statoblast can reproduce asexually. They do this by breaking off from a colony, allowing the animal to reproduce rapidly if the space and the weather are suitable. The animals eat phytoplankton and bacteria lurking in water.
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Fossil records suggest they may have evolved from an ancient marine worm. Their grandparents, ancient bryozoans, date back as far as 470 million years. For perspective, dinosaurs came around 245 million years ago.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) shared the photos on social media. “What is that??? If you’re out boating somewhere like McGee Creek Reservoir you may notice these strange jelly-like balls hanging from submerged tree limbs,” begins the post.
“These are Bryozoans, and they’ll likely show up in large numbers this summer. Don’t be alarmed these microorganisms are native and are of no danger to you or wildlife. In fact, they are an indicator of good environmental quality and clear water!”
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