Joe Jackson has died.
The 89-year-old patriarch passed away at 3.30am on Wednesday (27.06.18) at the age of 89 following a battle with cancer, TMZ reports. The retired talent manager – who is best known for handling the careers of his kids, including late son Michael Jackson – had been in hospital for some time, with his wife Katherine and some of his children and grandchildren by his side, and his passing was not unexpected as it was revealed hours before his death that he was “too weak” to even return to his Las Vegas home to live out his final days.
Joe suffered from diabetes and was also believed to have a form of dementia, suffered a stroke in Brazil in 2015 which left him temporarily blind. He was hospitalized in 2016 with a high fever after falling during a routine check-up.
In a message penned by John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson, they said: “We are deeply saddened by Mr. Jackson’s passing and extend our heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Katherine Jackson and the family. Joe was a strong man who acknowledged his own imperfections and heroically delivered his sons and daughters from the steel mills of Gary, Indiana to worldwide pop superstardom.”
The pair went on to state they had “developed a warm relationship” with Joe over the years since the ‘Thriller’ hitmaker’s passing, and said they will “miss him tremendously”.
Prince Jackson has praised his late grandfather Joe Jackson as “an example of sheer willpower”. The 21-year-old son of late musical icon Michael Jackson has taken to Instagram to pay tribute to the Jackson family patriarch – who is best known for handling the careers of his kids including Michael – after he passed away on Wednesday (27.06.18) at the age of 89 following a battle with cancer.
Prince – who is the eldest of Michael’s three children and his sister Paris, 20, and brother Blanket, 16 – posted a picture of himself with his grandfather.
Meanwhile, 39-year-old TJ Jackson – who is the son of Tito Jackson and who became the legal guardian of Michael’s brood after he passed away in 2009 – said he would always “cherish” his grandfather.
