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Joe Jackson has died at the age of 89. The well-known talent manager’s cause of death was stage 4 pancreatic cancer. According to TMZ, Jackson was taken to a hospital in Las Vegas earlier this week. He had been battling cancer for quite some time, but his health rapidly declined recently.
Despite reports that Jackson’s family was prohibited from seeing him, TMZ reported that his loved ones — including his children and his grandchildren — had been going to the hospital to spend time with him before his passing. His wife, Katherine, had been by his side, according to the report.
“His family has been flocking to his bedside. Family sources tell us, Joe has been battling the illness for some time, but it is at the end stages. We’re told his wife, Katherine, has been at his bedside recently. We’re also told some of Joe’s children and grandchildren have also made the trip to the hospital,” according to TMZ.
Jackson’s son, Jermaine Jackson, echoed this report, letting the public know that the Jackson family wanted to spend time with Joe in the days leading up to his death.
“For however long he has left, my mother, siblings, and relatives want to be with him, without hindrance,” he tweeted on June 21.
Jackson’s health had been ailing over the past few years. In 2015, he suffered a stroke and three heart attacks while vacationing in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A couple of days after his arrival, he started not feeling well. He was taken to the hospital, and doctors ran a few tests. Those tests showed that he had a massive stroke.
“[His stroke] was followed by multiple cardiac arrests – including one where his heart stopped for 10 seconds – that led doctors to fit him with a pacemaker,” the Daily Mail reported at the time. A local newspaper had also reported that Jackson “overdid it” while partying. There were also reports that he took Viagra, but his PR assistant denied that report.
“He sleeps early and doesn’t take medicine without prescription. Nothing of this story is true,” Jackson’s PR assistant Lisa Crazy explained.
The following year, TMZ reported that he had been hospitalized after coming down with a high fever. Although his health was a serious concern at the time, Jackson was able to get better and was released from the hospital a short while later.
Jackson is survived by his wife, Katherine, and his ten children, Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Brandon, Randy, Janet, and Joh’Vonnie. His son, iconic pop star Michael Jackson, died in 2009.
