Joe Jackson, the music manager and father of 11, died early Wednesday morning, the family confirms to PEOPLE. He was 89.
“We want to thank you all for the support you have shown us as we grieve for the patriarch of our family. We mourn the loss of our father and celebrate the life of a man who sacrificed so much to give us the life and success we have today. Thank you for respecting our privacy during this time,” the family said in a statement.
The Jackson family patriarch had been battling terminal pancreatic cancer and was “not doing well” as of late, a source previously told PEOPLE.
Prince Michael Jackson, grandson of Joe and son of Michael, captioned a photo on Instagram. “This man is and always will be an example or sheer willpower and dedication. He didn’t choose the path that was the easiest but he choose the path that was best for his family,” he wrote.
“You taught me to take pride in the Jackson name and what it really means, you taught me dedication in the face of adversity and most of all you showed me strength and fearlessness. There is and never will be someone like you. Fly free and until we meet again The Hawk.”
Daughter LaToyaadded, “I will always love you! You gave us strength, you made us one of the most famous families in the world. I am extremely appreciative of that, I will never forget our moments together and how you told me how much you cared. #RIP Joe Jackson”
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Just days later, Jackson appeared to share an emotional tweet hinting at his worsening health struggles. “I have seen more sunsets than I have left to see,”read the caption on a photo of Jackson, in his trademark hat, silhouetted against sun rays. “The sun rises when the time comes and whether you like it or not the sun sets when the time comes.”
Over the years, Jackson — who was born on July 26, 1928, in Fountain Hill, Arkansas — had a series of health problems.
In November 2012, he recovered from a minor stroke at his Las Vegas home. Three years later, daughter Janet had to put rehearsals for her Unbreakable World Tour on hold when he suffered another stroke and heart arrhythmia in Brazil on his 87th birthday in July 2015.
In May 2016, he washospitalizeddue to a high fever and in June 2017, he was released from the hospital after a car accident in Las Vegas.
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SonMichaeldiedfrom an apparent cardiac arrest at age 50 on June 25, 2009. Son Brandon died at birth in 1957.
Joe was also the father of Joh’Vonnie Jackson, 43, the daughter of Cheryl Terrell, whom he had a 25-year-long affair with. Katherine filed for divorce twice but never went through with the separation.
In addition, Joe was known as the stern patriarch who was physically and emotionally abusive.
In her1991 memoir, La Toya wrote that he abused her and terrorized her brothers, often pointing guns at the kids to get their attention. During an Oprah special in 1993, Michael admitted his father had beaten him.
Joe’s estranged relationship with son Michael resulted in him being completely left out of the King of Pop’s will after his 2009 death. Katherine continues to receive more than $1 million annually from the Michael Jackson estate.
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In a 2010 interview withOprah Winfrey, Joe said, “I don’t [regret the beatings]. It kept them out of jail and kept them right.”
In 2014, Joe opened up about his health in anopen letterto daughter Janet.
source: people.com
