Jackson Patriarch Joe Jackson Dead
• Joe Jackson, the iron-fisted patriarch and manager of the Jackson musical dynasty that included the hit-making Motown Records group the Jackson 5 (later the Jacksons), its megastar lead singer Michael Jackson and sister Janet Jackson, has died following a battle with cancer. He was 89. TMZ was first to report the news of Joe Jackson’s death. In late June, several news outlets reported that Jackson was suffering from terminal cancer.
The elder Jackson’s death was confirmed in a statement from John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the estate of Michael Jackson, which read, “We are deeply saddened by Mr. Jackson’s passing and extend our heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Katherine Jackson and the family. We had developed a warm relationship with Joe in recent years and will miss him tremendously.”
Jackson had been in poor heath for the past few years, and his condition went into a steep decline following a debilitating stroke suffered in 2015. Jackson is survived by eight Jackson children from his marriage as well as an adult daughter, Joh’Vonnie, from a long extramarital relationship with Cheryl Terrell.
Variety’s Chris Morris wrote an excellent in-depth look at Joe Jackson’s life and the tumultuous relationship he had with his talented offspring.
