Entertainment

Joseph “Joe” Jackson, the patriarch who launched the musical Jackson family dynasty, died Wednesday at a Las Vegas hospital, a source close to the family tells CNN.

He was 89.

Jackson was the father of and at times manager to pop stars Michael and Janet Jackson, along with the sibling singing group, The Jackson 5.

No cause of death has been released, but Jackson had reportedly been in ill health.

“I have seen more sunsets than I have left to see,” read a tweet posted Sunday from Jackson’s official Twitter account. “The sun rises when the time comes and whether you like it or not the sun sets when the time comes.”

His daughter, La Toya Jackson, tweeted about her father Wednesday.

“I will always love you! You gave us strength, you made us one of the most famous families in the world,” she wrote on her official Twitter account. “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.”

At the height of their stardom, The Jackson 5 sold millions of records and had their own CBS variety show.

The success of The Jackson 5 led to Michael Jackson going solo, becoming such a major star that he was later dubbed the King of Pop. Youngest daughter Janet also became a hugely successful recording artist.

Joe Jackson was criticised at times for being a harsh taskmaster. His children told stories about their father being hard on them growing up.

In 2013 interview with CNN, Jackson was asked about Janet’s complaint that the children were not allowed to call him “Dad,” instead referring to him as “Joe.”

“You had all those kids running hollering around,” Jackson said. “They’re hollering, ‘Dad, Dad, Dad,’ you know, and it gets to be – it sounds kind of funny to me. But I didn’t care too much about what they called me, just as long as they (were) able to listen to me and what I had to tell them, you know, in order to make their lives successful. This was the main thing.”

Jackson admitted that he disciplined his children physically, but said he had no regrets.

“I’m glad I was tough, because look what I came out with,” he said. “I came out with some kids that everybody loved all over the world. And they treated everybody right.”

Jackson also weathered some controversy after his wife documented his alleged extramarital affairs in her book, My Family, The Jacksons.

The couple presented a united front when Michael died in 2009 from an overdose of propofol.

Just this past weekend, Janet Jackson hailed her father during an acceptance speech at a Radio Disney awards ceremony.

“My mother nourished me with the most extravagant love imaginable,” she said. “My father, my incredible father drove me to be the best I can. My siblings set an incredibly high standard, a high bar for artistic excellence.”

Source: CNN-Wire