Delores Martes Jackson, affectionately known as Dee Dee Jackson, was the former wife of Jackson 5 guitarist Tito Jackson and the mother of Taj, Taryll, and TJ Jackson, the three brothers who formed the R&B/pop group 3T. Although her name became closely connected with one of the most famous musical families in America, Dee Dee built her identity mainly around motherhood, family, music, and helping others.
She married Tito while they were still teenagers and spent years raising their three sons as the Jackson family experienced extraordinary fame. Her sons later credited her with encouraging their love of music and teaching them the importance of giving back.
Delores Martes Jackson’s life ended tragically on August 27, 1994, when she died at age 39. Her death eventually became the center of a murder case involving Donald Bohana, the man she was dating at the time. Years later, Taj, Taryll, and TJ transformed their grief into a charitable mission by establishing the Dee Dee Jackson Foundation in their mother’s memory.
Her story, therefore, reaches far beyond her marriage to Tito Jackson. It is also the story of a mother whose influence remains visible through her children, their music, and their charitable work.
Quick Info About Delores Martes Jackson
| Personal Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Delores Martes Jackson |
| Known As | Delores “Dee Dee” Jackson |
| Date of Birth | April 1, 1955 |
| Date of Death | August 27, 1994 |
| Age at Death | 39 years old |
| Nationality | American |
| Former Husband | Tito Jackson |
| Marriage | 1972–1988 |
| Children | Taj Jackson, Taryll Jackson, TJ Jackson |
| Known For | Tito Jackson’s former wife and mother of 3T |
| Connection to Music | Mother and early influence of 3T |
| Partner at Time of Death | Donald Bohana |
| Legacy | Dee Dee Jackson Foundation |
| Net Worth | No reliable personal estimate has been established |
Delores Martes Jackson’s Early Life
Delores Martes Jackson was born on April 1, 1955. Compared with the members of the Jackson family, relatively few details from her childhood became part of the public record.
Her life became much better documented during her teenage years in Los Angeles, particularly after she met Tito Jackson.
Dee Dee attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, where she and Tito became high school sweethearts. Their relationship developed during an unusual period in Tito’s life. While most teenagers were thinking about school and their future careers, Tito was already experiencing international fame as a member of the Jackson 5.
That meant Dee Dee entered his life when the Jackson family was rapidly becoming one of the most recognizable families in popular music.
She did not build a public entertainment career of her own. Instead, much of what later became known about her came through her family, especially her three sons.
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How Delores Martes Jackson Met Tito Jackson
Delores Martes Jackson and Tito Jackson met while attending Fairfax High School in Los Angeles.
Their relationship began when they were young, and the two became high school sweethearts. Tito was already famous through the Jackson 5, but their relationship developed outside the performances and television appearances that surrounded his professional life.
Tito, whose full name was Toriano Adaryll Jackson, had become famous alongside his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael Jackson. The Jackson 5 had emerged from Gary, Indiana, before becoming one of Motown’s biggest acts.
By the time Dee Dee became part of Tito’s life, songs such as “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” and “The Love You Save” had helped turn the brothers into international stars.
Dee Dee therefore entered a family living under extraordinary public attention. Tito later remembered her warmly when discussing their early relationship and described how naturally she became part of the wider Jackson family.
Their teenage romance soon became much more serious.
Her Marriage to Tito Jackson
Delores Martes Jackson married Tito Jackson in June 1972. Tito was 18 years old, while Dee Dee was around 17.
The marriage placed her even closer to the center of the Jackson family’s fame. Tito’s career required recording sessions, performances, promotional appearances, and extensive travel, while the Jackson brothers continued developing from the Jackson 5 into a long-running musical family.
Away from that public world, Tito and Dee Dee began building their own family.
Their first son, Taj Jackson, was born on August 4, 1973. Two years later, they welcomed Taryll Jackson on August 8, 1975. Their youngest son, TJ Jackson, arrived on July 16, 1978.
The three boys grew up surrounded by music. Their father was a member of one of the world’s best-known musical families, while their uncles and aunts included Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Randy Jackson, Janet Jackson, La Toya Jackson, and Rebbie Jackson.
However, Dee Dee played her own important role inside her sons’ lives.
Her sons have remembered her as someone who encouraged their musical interests while also placing strong importance on helping other people. Those two qualities—music and service—would later become central to the way they preserved her memory.
Delores and Tito Jackson’s Three Sons
Motherhood became one of the defining parts of Delores Martes Jackson’s adult life.
Her eldest son, Taj Jackson, grew up interested in both music and filmmaking. He later studied at Loyola Marymount University and developed experience behind the camera as well as onstage. He has directed and worked on creative projects while continuing to perform with his brothers.
Taryll Jackson, the middle son, developed into a singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Music remained an important part of his adult career both within 3T and through his individual projects.
The youngest, TJ Jackson, also built a career as a singer and performer. In addition to his work with 3T and his solo music, TJ became involved in family-focused projects and charitable work.
Together, the brothers became known as 3T.
Their careers made Dee Dee part of two generations of Jackson family music: she had married a member of the Jackson 5 and later became the mother of another successful musical group.
How Dee Dee Influenced the Formation of 3T
Music surrounded Taj, Taryll, and TJ from childhood, but their mother was more than a spectator.
The Dee Dee Jackson Foundation describes Delores as having developed a deep love of music and says that her passion helped inspire her children. The brothers began making music together when they were young, eventually forming 3T.
The group’s name reflected the three brothers who made up the act. Their family connections naturally opened doors to musical knowledge and mentorship, but the brothers still had to develop their own songs, performances, and identity.
Their uncle Michael Jackson became particularly important to their professional development. He mentored his nephews and later supported their recording career.
3T eventually signed with MJJ Music and Sony and developed an international following.
Their first major album, Brotherhood, arrived in 1995. It featured songs including “Anything,” “I Need You,” and “Why,” the latter featuring Michael Jackson.
The album reportedly sold millions of copies worldwide and established Taj, Taryll, and TJ as recording artists in their own right.
Sadly, Dee Dee did not live to see the full success of the album.
Delores and Tito Jackson’s Divorce
After approximately 16 years of marriage, Delores Martes Jackson and Tito Jackson divorced in 1988.
The end of their marriage did not erase the family they had built together. Taj, Taryll, and TJ remained the permanent connection between them, and Dee Dee continued to play a central role in their sons’ lives.
Public accounts of the marriage do not provide enough reliable detail to justify dramatic theories about why it ended. Their divorce is therefore best understood simply as the conclusion of a marriage that had begun when both were teenagers.
Tito continued his musical career, while Dee Dee moved forward with her own life.
By 1994, she was dating Los Angeles businessman Donald Bohana. That relationship would later become central to the most tragic and widely discussed event in her story.
What Happened to Delores Martes Jackson?
Delores Martes Jackson died in the early hours of August 27, 1994, at only 39 years old.
On the previous evening, she had gone to Donald Bohana’s home for a late dinner. During the night, Dee Dee ended up in Bohana’s swimming pool.
At approximately 3:34 a.m., Bohana called emergency services and reported that someone had fallen into his pool and was drowning.
Paramedics arrived minutes later and found Dee Dee outside the pool. They attempted to revive her before taking her for further medical treatment, but she could not be saved.
Her death devastated her sons.
At the time, Taj had recently turned 21, Taryll was 19, and TJ was only 16. They were young men building their musical careers when they suddenly lost their mother.
Questions about the circumstances of her death soon became increasingly serious.
The Investigation Into Her Death
The investigation into Delores Martes Jackson’s death became complicated because Bohana maintained that she had accidentally drowned.
However, medical evidence and the circumstances surrounding the incident led investigators and prosecutors to challenge that account.
Evidence presented in the later criminal case included injuries found on Dee Dee’s body. The prosecution argued that the evidence supported an assault before she drowned, while Bohana maintained that the death resulted from an accident.
The case became particularly painful for the Jackson family because they had to deal with their personal grief while questions about Dee Dee’s final hours played out publicly.
Her family pushed for answers, and the case eventually resulted in criminal charges against Bohana.
Years after Dee Dee died, a jury would decide whether her death had truly been an accident.
Donald Bohana’s Murder Conviction
Donald James Bohana was ultimately prosecuted in connection with Delores Martes Jackson’s death.
In 1998, a jury convicted him of second-degree murder. He received a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
Bohana challenged his conviction and continued to maintain that Dee Dee’s death had been accidental. The California Court of Appeal reviewed the case and affirmed the murder conviction in 2000.
The legal proceedings became one of the most widely reported parts of Delores Martes Jackson’s story, but they also risk overshadowing the life she lived before 1994.
For her sons, her death was not simply a famous criminal case. They had lost their mother during an important stage of their lives.
Taj later spoke openly about how deeply the loss affected him. TJ also recalled the devastating experience of learning that his mother had died before the brothers could reach her at the hospital.
The grief remained with them, but it eventually influenced something meaningful that they created in her name.
3T’s Career After Their Mother’s Death
When Dee Dee died, Taj, Taryll, and TJ were working toward their breakthrough as 3T.
Losing their mother could easily have stopped that momentum. Instead, the brothers continued their work with support from Tito, Michael Jackson, and other members of their family.
Michael became an especially important emotional support for his nephews following their mother’s death.
3T completed Brotherhood, which was released in 1995 and became the group’s best-known album. “Anything” developed into a major international hit, while Michael appeared on “Why.”
For the brothers, continuing with music also provided a connection to their mother. Dee Dee had encouraged their musical interests, so moving forward with 3T allowed an important part of her influence to remain present in their lives.
The group later released more music and continued performing, while all three brothers also developed individual interests and careers.
Their mother’s influence, however, eventually extended beyond entertainment.
The Dee Dee Jackson Foundation and Her Legacy
In 2015, Taj, Taryll, and TJ Jackson founded the Dee Dee Jackson Foundation, often called DDJF, in memory of their mother.
The nonprofit focuses on grief, loss, healing, and community support.
Its mission grew directly from the brothers’ personal experience. They understood what it meant to lose a parent suddenly and to struggle with grief while continuing with everyday life.
The foundation has used music, community programs, conversations, and emotional support to help people navigate loss. Its work reflects qualities the brothers associate with their mother, particularly her interest in charity and helping people.
Taj has explained that creating the foundation gave him and his brothers a way to turn the pain of losing Dee Dee into something that celebrated her life.
The organization initially included music therapy opportunities for grieving children. It also developed The Power of Love, a platform for conversations about grief, healing, and personal experiences with loss.
In 2022, the foundation received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, marking the growth of an organization created from a deeply personal family tragedy.
For Dee Dee’s sons, the foundation ensures that her name represents more than the circumstances of her death.
Delores Martes Jackson’s Net Worth and Public Life
Unlike Tito Jackson and her sons, Delores Martes Jackson did not build a heavily documented public entertainment career.
As a result, there is no dependable figure for her personal net worth. Online estimates sometimes attach financial numbers to people connected with famous families, but Dee Dee’s finances were separate from the fortunes or earnings associated with other Jackson family members.
Her significance came primarily through her family life and influence on her children rather than a publicly documented business or entertainment career.
The same caution applies to many personal details sometimes listed in online biographies. Exact measurements and other private information were not important parts of Dee Dee’s public story and should not be confused with verified biographical facts.
What is well established is her place within the Jackson family, her marriage to Tito, her three sons, her influence on 3T, and the charitable legacy created in her name.
Why Delores Martes Jackson Is Still Remembered
More than three decades after her death, Delores Martes Jackson remains part of the wider Jackson family story.
Her marriage to Tito first connected her publicly to the famous family, but her three sons gave her legacy another dimension.
Taj, Taryll, and TJ became successful musicians, continued performing as 3T, and repeatedly honored the mother who encouraged them when they were young.
The Dee Dee Jackson Foundation made that legacy even more direct. Instead of allowing their mother’s name to remain associated mainly with a murder case, the brothers connected it with grief support, music, compassion, and helping others.
That distinction matters when looking at Dee Dee’s life as a whole.
She was Tito Jackson’s former wife, but she was also the mother behind another generation of Jackson musicians. Her influence continued through her children long after her own life ended.
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Final Thoughts
Delores Martes Jackson lived a relatively private life beside an exceptionally famous family. She married Tito Jackson as a teenager, raised Taj, Taryll, and TJ, and encouraged the interests that eventually helped her sons become 3T.
Her death at 39 was sudden and tragic, and the murder case that followed attracted years of attention. Yet her children have made sure that the circumstances of her death do not define everything people remember about her.
Through 3T and the Dee Dee Jackson Foundation, Taj, Taryll, and TJ continue to connect their mother’s name with music, family, charity, and support for people experiencing loss.
That lasting influence is a central part of the story of Delores “Dee Dee” Martes Jackson.
FAQs About Delores Martes Jackson
Who was Delores Martes Jackson?
Delores “Dee Dee” Martes Jackson was the former wife of Tito Jackson, a member of the Jackson 5. She was also the mother of Taj, Taryll, and TJ Jackson, who formed the music group 3T.
How many children did Delores Martes Jackson have?
Delores Martes Jackson had three sons with Tito Jackson: Taj Jackson, Taryll Jackson, and TJ Jackson. All three became members of 3T.
When did Delores Martes Jackson and Tito Jackson get married?
Delores and Tito Jackson married in June 1972 when they were still teenagers. Their marriage lasted for about 16 years before they divorced in 1988.
What happened to Delores Martes Jackson?
Delores Martes Jackson died on August 27, 1994, at the age of 39 following an incident in a swimming pool at Donald Bohana’s home. Bohana was later convicted of second-degree murder.
What is the Dee Dee Jackson Foundation?
The Dee Dee Jackson Foundation is a nonprofit founded by her sons Taj, Taryll, and TJ Jackson in 2015. It honors their mother by supporting people dealing with grief, loss, and emotional healing.
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