Tito Jackson’s close friends revealed his tragic dying words before the singer suffered a devastating heart attack . The 70-year-old singer , best known for being a member of The Jackson 5 with his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, passed away on Sunday after a heart attack while in a car in New Mexico. His pals Terry Harvey Maltbia - who was Tito’s business partner - as well as Ronald Balfour were on a road trip with the singer after picking up vintage cars from his home in Oklahoma when tragedy struck.
The men spoke to the Daily Mail about Tito’s last few hours with them before his unexpected death, and said the trio had been “eating turkey and chicken, laughing and talking”. But when Tito tried to put the top back on the convertible car they were driving, he began to complain of chest pain. “He said, ‘I ain't feeling good in my chest.
’ He wiped his face off, took off his shirt and it was like someone had threw a bucket of water on him,” Terry shared. He said he and Ron managed to get the attention of passing police officers, and Tito was taken to a nearby hospital, but his condition worsened. Terry admitted he was shocked at Tito’s deterioration, and believed “everything was going to be OK” when they arrived at the hospital, adding that he thought Tito would “have to spend the night”.
“And then a woman came back out and said, ‘He's not doing good.’ I said to her, ‘What do you mean? He's not doing good because he can't get up? What do you mean? I was just talking to him!’” Terry sadly recalled. He said when he was taken to the room where Tito was, there were “about seven doctors working on him”, and as he tried to called Tito’s brother Marlon to inform him of the singer’s condition, the 70-year-old died.
Tito’s sons Taj, TJ and Taryll confirmed news of their father’s death in an emotional post on social media, as they paid tribute to the Jackson 5 singer. “It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken,” they wrote in a post on Instagram .
“Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being. 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,” the siblings concluded.
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