Joe Jackson, the father of late pop star Michael Jackson, has died at the age of 89.
A family source confirmed the music mogul passed away in a Las Vegas hospice, according to TMZ. The hospice is said to be part of the hospital where Jackson had been admitted and he was believed to have been moved a day and a half before his death.
Jackson was initially hospitalised earlier in June with terminal cancer and reportedly passed away at 3:30am on Wednesday morning. The talent manager is thought to have been ill for several months, before taking a turn for the worse last week. However, despite his days being seemingly numbered, Joe’s handlers initially blocked any family members from visiting the patriarch in hospital.
Although several reports claimed Jackson was on his deathbed, his son Jermaine took to Twitter to explain he didn’t “reveal” anything and that he and the rest of the Jackson family wanted to spend as long with their father as possible.
“On the new story re Joseph. I’d like to be clear: I’ve no problem speaking up when it comes to the welfare of this family, but a journalist called me with information he clearly already had about my father. I confirmed certain details but “revealed” nothing,” he explained. “My father’s health is not good, but “dying” is a harsh word chosen by headline writers, not me. For however long he has left, my mother, siblings, and relatives want to be with him, without hindrance.”
https://twitter.com/jermjackson5/status/1009900522579480576
https://twitter.com/jermjackson5/status/1009902382275166208
Just days ago, Jackson’s final tweet appeared to be a farewell to the world.
“I have seen more sunsets than I have left to see,” he wrote. “The sun rises when the time comes and whether you like it or not the sun sets when the time comes.”
Devestated fans have flocked to social media to pay their respects to Jackson.
Rapper R Kelly wrote: “Joe Jackson took his 6 sons and 3 daughters from Gary, IN to the world. He made icons that are still impacting the world, today. Sad to hear about his passing. Rest in power, #JoeJackson #LegendsHonorLegends”.
https://twitter.com/rkelly/status/1012017680612671488
Another fan added: “Without you music wouldn’t be the same, you raised one of the most famous music families in the world and gave us legends such as Michael and Janet. Thank you”.
A further message by Piers Morgan read: “A tough, uncompromising, charming & complex man who drove his children from the mean, poor streets of Gary, Indiana to global stardom. But at what cost? He made no apologies when I interviewed him in 2013: ‘I did what I had to do to give them a better life.’”.
Jackson is famous for orchestrating his children’s rise to fame as The Jackson 5, comprising Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, as well as helping talented daughters Janet and LaToya launch their own musical careers. The music manager was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2014, but his public life has also been racked by drama over the years after his children, including claims by Michael, who accused him of being physically and mentally abusive.
Read more: 1970: The remarkable year The Jackson 5 won the world’s heart
Michael, who died of an overdose of the drugs propofol and benzodiazepine after suffering a cardiac arrest in June 2009, had a troubled relationship with his notoriously strict father, leading him to cut Joe out of his will and stipulate that his mother Katherine should be granted custody of his three children, Paris, Prince Michael and Blanket.
In 2010, during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Joe publicly admitted the beatings, but said he “didn’t regret” his actions. He told the host: “I don’t [regret the beatings]. It kept them out of jail and kept them right. I don’t think he [Michael] was afraid of me. What he was afraid of, he may do something wrong and I’d chastise him but not beat him. I never beat him like the media tried to say.”
His family are yet to make any public announcements at the time of publication.