Joe Jackson has been hospitalized in the final stages of terminal cancer, Us Weekly confirms.
The 89-year-old — who is the father of Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and their famous siblings — has been battling the disease for some time, but took a turn for the worse “about seven days ago,” a source tells Us. His wife, Katherine Jackson, has been at his bedside in Las Vegas, as have some of his children and grandkids.
“Everyone in the family, from Paris to Janet, is planning to see him,” the source adds. “He can still talk and communicate at this point. He’s very weak.”
Joe’s cancer cannot be treated because of his age. He has suffered many ailments in recent years, including a stroke, a heart attack and dementia. He was also injured in a car accident in June 2017.
The source tells Us that the talent manager’s team allegedly tried “to prevent the family from seeing him” at first because he “didn’t want to see them in that condition.” The source explains, “The family feels that no one should have prevented him from seeing his family, even if he wasn’t able to portray the strength he wanted to portray. They felt that they and he should at least have the chance to say goodbye.”
His son Jermaine Jackson also spoke out about the confusion regarding his father’s health. “No one knew what was going on,” the former Jackson 5 member, 63, told the Daily Mail on Wednesday, June 20. “We shouldn’t have to beg, plead and argue to see our own father, especially at a time like this. We have been hurting. We were not being told where he was and couldn’t get the full picture, even from the doctor. My mother was worried sick. He’s very, very frail. He doesn’t have long. The family needs to be by his bedside. That’s our only intention in his final days. It’s what any family would want, but some people around him think they know better … and they don’t.”
The father of 11 famously helped his sons find success as The Jackson 5 in the 1960s. Eventually, Michael kicked off a solo career and went on to become one of the best-selling music artists of all time with hits including “Thriller,” “Black or White,” “Billie Jean” and “Man in the Mirror,” among many others. Michael died at the age of 50 on June 25, 2009, from cardiac arrest induced by acute drug intoxication. His death was ruled a homicide, and his personal physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
