What Happened to the Original Jackson 5 Band Members? All About the Brothers' Lives After the Group Split Up
What Happened to the Original Jackson 5 Band Members? All About the Brothers' Lives After the Group Split Up
Nicole BrieseSun, April 26, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC
0
The Jackson 5 in 1972.Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
The Jackson 5, now known as The Jacksons, didn’t just put Michael Jackson on the map: The group changed the course of musical history.
Raised in Gary, Ind., by Joe and Katherine Jackson, the five-man band consisting of Michael, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Marlon Jackson made their television debut on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand in 1970.
The band was signed with Motown Records until 1976, when they pivoted to Epic Records, and the youngest Jackson brother, Randy, replaced Jermaine. They also changed their name at the time to The Jacksons.
Though the Jackson 5 was never recognized with a Grammy, they achieved many milestones together, garnering three nominations from the Recording Academy and selling more than 150 million records.
The band also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
After more than 60 years as a group, here's what happened to the members of the Jackson 5.
01 of 05
Sigmund Esco “Jackie” Jackson
Jackie Jackson at the NAACP Image Awards on November 19, 1970 in Los Angeles, California; Jackie Jackson during the Fool in Love Festival on August 31, 2024 in Inglewood, California.Credit: Max B. Miller/Fotos International/Getty; Scott Dudelson/Getty
Jackie, born Sigmund Esco Jackson, on May 4, 1951, was a founding member of the Jackson 5. As the oldest Jackson brother, the musician naturally took on a leadership role.
“At that time, I was the oldest and sometimes my father couldn’t be there, so I kept everybody in line,” he said on an April 2025 episode of the Black in the Green Room podcast. “It wasn’t that hard because it was about the music and being onstage and entertaining, and that’s what we wanted to do.”
Jackie tried his hand at a solo career while still performing with the group, releasing Jackie Jackson in 1973 and Be the One in 1989, breaking the Top 40 charts with his single “Stay.”
When Michael left the band in 1984, Jackie continued with The Jacksons, splitting leads on the group’s last album with Jermaine.
In addition to performing with his brothers, Jackie explored the business side of music, launching several music labels, including Critically Amused in 2018. He also starred in and executive-produced the 2009 reality series The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty.
Jackie is a father of four. He welcomed his son Sigmund Esco Jr. and daughter Brandi with his late wife, Enid Arden Spann. Spann died from a brain aneurysm in 1997, and Jackie remarried to Emily Jackson in 2012. The two welcomed twins River and Jaylen in 2013.
02 of 05
Toriano “Tito” Adaryll Jackson
Tito Jackson in 1977 in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Tito Jackson attends the BMI London Awards on October 9, 2017 in London, England.Credit: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns; Dave J Hogan/Getty
Tito was born to the Jackson family on Oct. 15, 1953.
He was one of the group’s most consistent members, remaining with The Jacksons as he began a family with his late ex-wife Delores "Dee Dee" Martes. The couple had three children — Taj, Taryll and TJ — together before they divorced, and she was tragically killed in 1994.
When the couple’s sons formed their own band, 3T, Tito became their manager. “A Tito Jackson career on top of that just wouldn't allow me the time. So I chose to be a father and do all the things fathers do,” he told VladTV, per NPR.
In 2016, at the age of 63, Tito released his first solo album, Tito Time, followed by his 2021 album, Under Your Spell.
He continued to perform both as a solo act and with his brothers until his death on Sept. 15, 2024, of an apparent heart attack. He was 70 years old.
03 of 05
Jermaine LaJuane Jackson
Jermaine Jackson at ABC-TV studios on July 9th, 1971 in California; Jermaine Jackson during the Social Star Awards 2013 on May 23, 2013 in Singapore.Credit: Laufer/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty; Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty
Jermaine Jackson played an important role in the Jackson 5's success.
Born on Dec. 11, 1954, Jermaine was 10 when the band originated. “I was the lead singer first,” he recalled in an interview.
Advertisement
With the addition of Michael to the group, Jermaine settled into his role as the second lead vocalist and bassist, with key solos in “I’ll Be There,” “I Want You Back” and more.
Despite his affinity for the group, Jermaine, who was married to Motown founder Berry Gordy’s daughter Hazel Gordy at the time, was the first to leave the Jackson 5 in 1975 when they switched labels.
Jermaine, who had embarked on his solo career three years prior in 1972 with the release of his self-titled album, continued recording with Motown until 1983, at which point he rejoined The Jacksons.
In 2023, Rita Barrett accused the singer of sexual assault and battery in a civil lawsuit stemming from an incident that allegedly took place in the spring of 1988. There have been no further updates on the case. A rep for Jermaine did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment at the time.
Jermaine shares seven children with Hazel, Margaret Maldonado and ex-wife Alejandra Loaiza. One of his younger sons, Jafaar, is playing his uncle Michael in the April 2026 biopic.
04 of 05
Marlon David Jackson
Marlon Jackson in 1968; Marlon Jackson during the Fool in Love Festival on August 31, 2024 in Inglewood, California.Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty; Scott Dudelson/Getty
Born as a twin with Brandon Jackson, who died shortly after birth on March 12, 1957, Marlon was the second-youngest Jackson in the group, getting his start at age 7 playing percussion for his older brothers.
Amid performing with his siblings, Marlon started a family of his own. He married Carol Ann Parker, with whom he went on to welcome three children, Valencia, Brittany and Marlon Jr.
After Michael left the group in 1984, Marlon soon followed suit, branching out on his own with 1987’s Baby Tonight.
In addition to his music career, Marlon has also dabbled in real estate.
In 2015, he created the Study Peace Foundation in order to create "new programs designed to engage young people and adults to live in peaceful environments,” such as bringing playgrounds to underserved communities across the U.S.
“It all starts with what we make accessible to the children,” Marlon told the Los Angeles Sentinel in June 2015.
05 of 05
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson performs onstage in 1970; Michael Jackson performs on July 16, 1996 in Brunei.Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty; FRANCIS Sylvain/AFP via Getty
Michael, who was born on Aug. 29, 1958, was just 5 years old when he began performing with his family’s musical group in Gary in 1964.
Michael was instrumental in helping the band secure its first full-length record deal with Motown Records after being scouted by Bobby Taylor.
“I saw this little kid spinning and stuff and said, ‘Dang, send him upstairs. When he finishes, I want to talk to this kid,' ” Taylor said in a 2011 interview of Michael, per Rolling Stone.
The king of pop’s voice was featured on the Jackson 5’s biggest hits and nearly all of its albums, except for 2300 Jackson Street, which was released under the name The Jacksons several years after Michael’s departure from the group in 1984.
Though Michael kick-started his solo career as early as 1972 with his album Got to Be There, he continued to perform with his brothers even after topping the charts with “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Billie Jean” and 1982’s Thriller — the record that became the best-selling album of all time.
In 1993, Michael was accused of sexual molestation in a civil lawsuit that was settled out of court for more than $20 million.
He was arrested on separate charges of child molestation in 2003, stemming from the documentary Living With Michael Jackson, which called into question the nature of his relationship with the children in his life. Michael was acquitted of all charges in June 2005.
Michael was due to kick off a 50-date residency in London when he died of a cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009. The singer, who was married twice, to Lisa Marie Presley from 1994 to 1996 and to Debbie Rowe from 1996 to 1999, left behind three children: Paris Jackson, Prince Jackson and Bigi Jackson.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
