Michael Jackson's Kids Prince and Paris Pay Tribute to Uncle Tito
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Michael Jackson’s kids Prince and Paris Jackson are remembering their Uncle Tito.
“Rest in transition, Uncle Tito ❤️,” Paris, 26, wrote over a photo of Tito and her late father shared via her Instagram Story on Monday, September 16.
Prince, 27, meanwhile, shared a recent family photo of the Jackson clan via his Instagram on Monday, alongside the caption: “Love you forever Poppa T❤️.” The photo features Prince with his relatives including Tito, grandmother Katherine Jackson, aunt La Toya Jackson, and several of his uncles and cousins.
“He always spoke so highly about you Prince and was so proud of the man you have become and your love for family,” Tito’s son, TJ, commented under the post. “Thank you for being such a great nephew to him. ❤️”
TJ, 46, had custody of Prince, Paris and their younger brother, Bigi, following Michael’s death in 2009. He was made their co-guardian, along with their grandmother Katherine, in 2012. In 2019, TJ said he had sole custody of his late uncle’s children. (Prince, Paris and Bigi are now all legal adults.)
TJ and his brothers Taj, 51, and Taryll, 49, who are better known as the pop group 3T, announced their father’s death on Monday, September 16, via Instagram.
Tito died Sunday, September 15, after police responded to a medical emergency near a mall in Gallup, New Mexico. “The individual was subsequently transported to a local hospital in Gallup, New Mexico, where he was pronounced dead,” the Gallup Police Department said in a statement Monday. “Following this, the hospital requested the presence of detectives and the Office of the Medical Investigator. The deceased has been identified as 70-year-old Toriano ‘Tito’ Jackson from Tulsa, Oklahoma.”
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us,” Taj, Taryll and TJ wrote alongside a series of photos spanning their father’s life on Monday. “We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. 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,” the trio continued. “Please remember to do what our father always preached and that is ‘Love One Another.’ We love you Pops.”
TJ took to his Instagram late Monday night to share a personal tribute to his father, writing, “Words can’t express how much I already miss my father. It doesn’t feel real. I know some think as a middle-aged man I’m not supposed to hurt this way but that just isn’t the truth. Right now this is crushing me.”
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“Losing a parent is extremely tough. Losing both in the way I have has given me an incredibly unwelcoming feeling and a paranoia that I will have to overcome,” he wrote alongside a series of photos of Tito with his loved ones.
TJ concluded his post, “Right now I’m in so much pain but like he showed me throughout his life I will never give up and will make the best of this thing called life. I will get through this. One day at a time. I love you pops and will forever miss you.”
