Tito Jackson told his best friend he “couldn’t breathe” and “didn’t feel well” just before he was rushed to a New Mexico hospital, where he later died of a heart attack.
Terry Harvey Maltbia, Jackson’s business partner and best friend, told DailyMail.com exclusively that he and the singer were in Gallup, New Mexico and had stopped for a bite to eat before heading back to Jackson’s ranch in Oklahoma.
Maltbia, Jackson and another friend, Ronald Balfour, were on a road trip from Oaklahoma to California, where the trio picked up Jackson’s vintage cars from his home.
They arrived in New Mexico around 6 p.m. Sunday and stopped at the American Heritage Plaza shopping center in Gallup for a bite to eat before making the long drive back to Oklahoma.
“We just had turkey and chicken, laughed and talked,” Maltbia said Monday. “We were putting the top on the convertible because it started raining. Then Tito came back to the passenger window and said, ‘My chest hurts. Can you help Ronnie get the [car] top?”
Tito Jackson (left) and his friends Ronald Balfour (center) and Terry Harvey Maltbia picked up the singer’s vintage cars from California and were on their way back to Oklahoma when Jackson suffered a heart attack
The trio were due back in town before Jackson planned to fly to Atlanta for another event. The dashboard features one of Jackson’s signature hats
“He said, ‘I don’t feel good in my chest.’ He wiped his face, took off his shirt, and it was like someone had thrown a bucket of water over him.”
Maltbia said he alerted officers who were in the area, and Jackson was rushed to a local hospital.
Jackson asked his friends to look for his insurance card in his bag as he was wheeled into the emergency room.
Moments later, Jackson’s condition deteriorated.
“I assumed everything would be fine because we had taken him to the hospital and he could still talk,” a shocked Maltbia said.
“He had a performance scheduled at the Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta on Tuesday, but we thought we might miss it and might have to stay the night.
‘And then a woman came back and said, “He’s not doing well.” I said to her, “What do you mean? He’s not doing well because he can’t get up? What do you mean? I was just talking to him!”
“They took me back and I looked at him,” Maltbia said with a sigh. “He had about seven doctors working on him and it got really bad. I called his brother, Marlon, and then he died.”
The Jacksons had recently returned from a show in Munich, Germany, just four days before Tito’s sudden death
Inside Tito Jackson’s ranch in Claremore, Oklahoma, where the musician moved earlier this year
Jackson’s remains are being held under the jurisdiction of the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator.
An autopsy is still pending as the coroner waits for Jackson’s remains to be transported to Albuquerque, where the examination will take place, coroner’s office spokesman Chris Ramirez told DailyMail.com on Monday.
Steve Manning, a friend of the Jackson family and former manager, also confirmed that the 70-year-old died of a heart attack.
Maltbia said that in mourning, he and Balfour decided to drive to their final destination in memory of their beloved friend.
The pair arrived in Oklahoma and unloaded the vintage cars Monday afternoon at Jackson’s sprawling ranch in Claremore, where the singer moved earlier this year.
Friends say Jackson decided to move to the town of about 20,000 to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.
Howard Pollack, a friend and business associate of Jackson, said that although Jackson had only lived in the community for a short time, he had plans to bring a music festival and other entertainment events to the area.
Friend and business partner Howard Pollack (right) said Tito Jackson quickly opened his heart and door to the community
Jackson, Pollack and Maltbia had plans to bring a major music festival to the region next year, to be called “Tunes & Spoons.” Jackson even held an event at his ranch to announce the idea
Pollack and Maltbia, who own an entertainment management company, have been working with Jackson to bring a restaurant to the Tulsa area. A few weeks ago, they also announced plans to hold a “Tunes & Spoons” event next year, featuring a music festival and chili cook-off.
According to local publication Tulsa World, the city hoped to attract about 40,000 people for the three-day festival.
Jackson enjoyed and loved the country life, but he also tried to find a way to pass on his passion for music to his neighbors, his friends said.
“He brought a new energy to the community,” Pollack told DailyMail.com. “He wanted to bring some music to the area and that’s when we came up with the idea for the festival. He was very involved because his family had roots here too.”
Jackson told the Tulsa World that he was interested in settling in rural Oklahoma because his uncle Samuel Jackson ran a business in Tulsa in 1917.
Tito toured the world as part of the iconic Jackson 5, which was led by his younger brother Michael and brothers Jackie, Jermaine and Marlon Jackson
Jackson said his uncle’s business burned down in the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, but they were able to rebuild the funeral home.
The musician was recently in Munich, Germany, ahead of a performance by the current lineup of The Jacksons, which also features brothers Jackie and Marlon Jackson.
Just four days before his death, Jackson shared a photo of himself and his brothers visiting a memorial in Munich in honor of their younger brother and King of Pop, Michael.
In the heartfelt caption, Tito wrote, “We are deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory, but our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive.”
Pollack said Jackson was working on new music and even built a studio on his ranch in Claremore.
Tito Jackson’s sprawling ranch was located near a lake where the singer liked to spend hours fishing
Besides making music, Jackson enjoyed fishing in the lake located near his estate.
According to his friends, Jackson found the “peace he was looking for” in the rural town.
“I always wanted to get away from the West Coast and live somewhere with new people and a new culture,” Jackson told the Tulsa World.
Jackson is survived by his three sons Taj, 41, Taryll, 39, and TJ, 46 — who was in band 3T — and nine grandchildren.