Tito Joe Jackson “TJ“, 48, is the youngest son of Tito Jackson, who tragically passed away from a heart attack in September 2024. The legendary member of the Jackson 5, leaves behind his most precious legacy, his sons, TJ, Taj, and Taryll.
However, apart from the boys, Tito allegedly had a daughter, Tanay Jackson, or at least that’s what she said. To prove that she was one of them, she underwent a DNA test, a real-life incident that also aired on The Jacksons: Next Generation. Nevertheless, the episode ended in a cliffhanger, leaving us to speculate about their relationship, to this day.
Despite this, the boys were close with Tanay, especially TJ. As she puts it,
TJ was cool with me. Taryll and Taj were not. They’re probably trying to keep their loyalty to their mom — she’s deceased and I have a different mom.
Family dynamics can be tricky, but TJ seems to have handled it with his usual calm. Let’s see how his life is today.
He and His Wife Brought Up Six Children
When it comes to his family, TJ has really built something special. He met his life partner Frances Jackson at the age of 20. At the time of their meeting, Frances, a 23-year-old divorcée and a mother of two was often judged for her past, but he saw her more than that.
He believes, “a [single] woman with kids shouldn’t be looked down upon.” Soon they officially started going out.
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After dating for only three months, they decided to expand their family, welcoming his firstborn son, Royal on October 23rd, 1999.
That was And today they’ve got a full house with their three other children—Delores “Dee Dee” 17, Dallas “Jo Jo” 15, and Rio, 11. What’s more, when TJ started dating Frances he also took over the responsibility of her two children from a previous relationship, Sage and Lexci.
So many different faces emotions in one shot. Pretty funny. #Family pic.twitter.com/ChRRbFRUzW
— TJ Jackson (@tjjackson) January 6, 2016
Balancing all the personalities under one roof sounds like a challenge, but TJ’s got it under control. Family is his priority, and he’s always made sure to keep them at the center of everything he does.
His Spouse Has a Rich Racial Heritage
France’s ethnicity journey turned out to be way more interesting than she expected, and it all started with a casual DNA test she and her husband did on YouTube. Like most people, she had a general idea of her heritage, but the results gave her a deeper look into what really makes up her background.
Turns out, France is 74.8% European, with the biggest chunk coming from Northwestern Europe. She’s got a solid 34% British and Irish, mostly from Greater London and County Mayo in Ireland. And then there’s a good mix of 15% French and German, which probably surprised her less since her grandma had mentioned something about that before.
But here’s where things get interesting—she’s also 22.4% Native American, which was a fun discovery for her. Growing up, she was raised thinking she had a lot of Mexican heritage, but the test confirmed that it was actually a combination of Native American ancestry mixed in with other backgrounds. And, to top it off, she’s 20% Spanish and Portuguese, which made a lot of sense considering her love for Spanish culture.
He was the co-guardian of Michael Jackson’s Kids
TJ’s role as a parent extends beyond his own offspring. Back in 2012, he temporarily stepped in as the guardian for his late uncle Michael’s children—Prince, Paris, and Blanket. With some tension over the original arrangement with their grandmother, Katherine, TJ was asked to step in and he did it so well. Moreover, Michael’s kids were fond of him, so he took on the responsibility with a lot of care.
“The children absolutely adore TJ, and he is one of the few voices of sanity in this whole situation“, a source said at the time. Later, TJ shared co-guardianship with his grandma.
His Career From 3T to Solo
Growing up in the Jackson family, music was just part of the deal. In the ’90s, TJ and his brothers formed the band 3T. Their first album, Brotherhood, dropped in 1995 and made a pretty big splash, thanks to the help from the Jackson OG’s. The family legacy loomed large, but they embraced it. With their uncles helping them out every step of the way, the album was a full-blown family affair. The hit single “Anything” became a fan favorite, but success was bittersweet.
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Before they could fully ride the wave of fame, their mother Dolores passed away in 1994 in a tragic incident. This heartbreaking loss hit the family hard and cast a shadow over their musical rise. Despite the pain, they stayed strong and continued with their music.
3T went quiet for almost a decade after their debut album. When they made their comeback in 2004 with Sex Appeal, it didn’t quite hit the mark. But TJ wasn’t ready to walk away from music. In 2011, he reunited with his siblings to honor their uncle Michael in a tribute concert in Wales.
He Had a Complicated Relationship with his Uncle, Michael
Michael and TJ had one of those family bonds that was pretty unique—definitely not your typical uncle-nephew relationship. Growing up around someone as iconic (and let’s be real, as controversial) as Michael, he experienced a mix of love, admiration, and, well, public scrutiny.
But here’s where things get really interesting: on the one hand, Michael was just “Uncle Mike,” a guy who would throw on a hat and try to sneak out to the mall like a regular person.
Take that one story TJ tells about the time they dressed Michael up in all kinds of random gear just to help him go unnoticed at the mall. It’s funny because, in his mind, this was just them helping their uncle live a little, trying to experience life like everyone else. But the guy was Michael, for crying out loud—he could only blend in for, like, eight minutes before people realized who he was. Still, to the boys, this wasn’t weird at all. It was just Uncle Mike trying to have some fun.
But then there’s the flip side. The 1996 photoshoot with 3T, is where things get complicated. They were doing promo shots with Michael for their single “Why.” Harmless, right? But years later, tabloids like Star Magazine and RadarOnline turned it into something way more questionable. According to these stories, things got a little too close for comfort while shooting—like, TJ losing more and more clothing, with Michael directing the whole thing. Suddenly, what seemed like a regular family photo session got dragged into the murky world of public gossip.
It’s tough for TJ because, on one hand, he’s got these really sweet memories of his uncle. But then there’s this other version of Michael that the media ran with, where every move he made was put under a microscope. The Radar report even hinted that Michael’s behavior with his nephews could’ve been part of something darker, and that’s heavy stuff. But the crazy part is, none of the Jackson family ever really saw it that way. To them, Michael was innocent—misunderstood at worst—but definitely not guilty of the stuff people were accusing him of.
