Joe Jackson, father of the late legendary entertainer Michael Jackson, has died, the Associated Press reports. He was 89.
Jackson passed early Wednesday morning at a hospital in Las Vegas, where he was being treated for terminal pancreatic cancer, according to TMZ.
His grandson Taj Jackson posted a tweet confirming his death.
Taj Jackson✔@tajjackson3
DISGUSTED BY SOME OF THE COMMENTS I’M READING ABOUT MY GRANDPA JOE BY THOSE WHO DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HIM. PLEASE DON’T JUST REGURGITATE WHAT YOU WERE SPOON FED BY THE PRESS. JOE WAS LOVED BY OUR ENTIRE FAMILY AND OUR HEARTS ARE IN PAIN. LET US GRIEVE WITHOUT THE NASTINESS.#RIPTHEHAWK
Joe Jackson is credited for his role in shaping the successful careers of his children, specifically Michael Jackson and the creation of the Jackson 5 (comprised of Michael, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon). He also played a heavy influence in Janet, Latoya and Reebie Jackson’s careers.
Controversy swirled around Jackson in his later years when he revealed to Oprah Winfrey in a 2010 interview that he admitted hitting his children with a strap.
“I don’t [regret the beatings],” he told her. “It kept them out of jail and kept them right.”
Joe Jackson is survived by his wife Katherine, 88, and nine of his 11 children.