Tito Jackson and Delores Martes: a Complete Relationship and Life Timeline
Tito Jackson met Delores Martes in the early 1970s while attending Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. At the time, The Jackson 5 had relocated from Gary, Indiana, after Berry Gordy signed them to Motown Records. Hits like "I Want You Back" and "ABC" were tearing through billboard charts, turning Tito and his brothers into international sensations. Despite the hysteria surrounding the family compound in Encino, Martes offered Tito a calm, grounding presence disconnected from record executives and stadium crowds.
The young couple married in June 1972. Tito was 18 years old, and Delores was just 17. While family patriarch Joe Jackson notoriously worried that early marriages would disrupt the band's marketability and rigorous touring schedules, Tito insisted on building a traditional, stable home life. Martes chose to stay largely out of the celebrity glare, focusing on her marriage and shielding her household from the frantic pressures of the music industry.
