Motown legend Tito Jackson might not have died if he’d gotten medical help sooner, say friends, family and medical experts.
The Jacksons’ 70-year-old singer and guitarist was driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma when he suffered a medical emergency and passed away, says former Jackson family manager Steve Manning.
Tito was stricken near a mall in Gallup, New Mexico, just hours before he was declared dead, according to local cops. Police records show that at approximately 6:17 p.m. PT on September 15, an officer “was flagged down” near the American Heritage Plaza. Tito was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital but couldn’t be saved.
“I firmly believe that if Tito had gotten help sooner, he’d still be here with us today!” declares a family insider.
While no cause of death was initially released, experts contacted by In Touch believe Tito’s death was heart related.
“It’s more than likely Tito had high blood pressure, and high blood pressure forces the heart to work harder to pump blood to the rest of the body,” explains Dr. Stuart Fischer, author of The Little Book of Big Medical Emergencies, who did not treat Tito. “It is often the cause of heart attack and heart failure.”
“It can also cause fatal cardiac arrhythmia.”
“Probably the biggest issue was that a heart attack is one of the emergencies where time is of the absolute essence,” Fischer notes. “They were waiting to get help in a mall parking lot, and a significant delay like that can be the difference between life and death!”
Longevity expert Dr. Gabe Mirkin, who also did not treat Tito, suspects Tito’s lifestyle contributed to his death.
“Tito Jackson had significant abdominal obesity, which puts him at incredibly high risk for a heart attack,” says Mirkin. “It means that he probably had a terrible diet loaded with meat, sugar and fried foods that are major risk factors for a heart attack.”
Prior to his death, Tito had been touring in Europe with his brothers Jackie and Marlon as The Jacksons. Along with them and his three sons, Taj, Taryll and TJ, Tito leaves behind his mother, Katherine, brothers Jermaine and Randy, and sisters Rebbie, La Toya and Janet.
In a post, Tito’s sons asked people to “remember to do what our father always preached and that is ‘Love One Another.’”
