Tito Jackson, a member of the Jackson 5, has died after being rushed to a hospital in New Mexico suffering a heart attack, according to reports.
Terry Harvey Maltbia, considered Jackson’s close friend and business partner, shared details of the singer’s final moments with the Daily Mail.
Maltbia said he, Jackson and friend Ronald Balfour were traveling from Oklahoma to California to pick up some of Jackson’s classic cars when they stopped in New Mexico after Jackson complained of feeling unwell and having difficulty breathing.
According to Maltbia, they arrived in New Mexico around 6 p.m. on September 15 and decided to eat before continuing their drive back to Jackson’s ranch in Claremore, Oklahoma.
“We had just finished eating turkey and chicken, laughing and chatting,” Maltbia told the Daily Mail.
He continued, “We were putting the top of the convertible up because it started to rain. That’s when Tito came back out the passenger window and said, ‘My chest hurts. Can you help Ronnie finish? [car] head?'”
“[Tito] said, ‘I don’t feel well in my chest.’ He wiped his face, took off his shirt and it felt like someone had thrown a bucket of water on him.”
Maltbia urgently called the nearby police for assistance and they quickly called an ambulance.
The Jackson 5 member remained calm as he was taken to the emergency room, even speaking to those accompanying him and asking them to take his insurance card out of his pocket.
“I thought everything would be okay because we took him to the hospital and he was still talking.”
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Maltbia later learned of Jackson’s deteriorating condition and revealed, “They took me back there, and I looked at him. There were about seven doctors working on him and it was getting really bad. I called his brother, Marlon, and that’s when he passed away.”
According to Rolling Stone magazine, the New Mexico Police Department has issued an official update on the circumstances leading up to Jackson’s sudden death.
Investigators revealed that Jackson suffered a sudden medical emergency near the American Heritage Plaza, forcing emergency crews to take him to a nearby medical facility.
“Investigators are actively interviewing witnesses and examining both paper and electronic records,” Rolling Stone reported.
“The Department may change its understanding of the facts and circumstances as it collects and analyzes additional evidence,” the report added.
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