Joe Jackson is opening up about his reported terminal cancer battle for the first time. The pop music patriarch on Sunday alluded to his health in a cryptic tweet, writing, “I have seen more sunsets than I have left to see. The sun rises when the time comes and whether you like it or not the sun sets when the time comes.”
Jackson’s tweet was accompanied by a photo of the 89 year old staring out at the ocean and holding on to a rail as the sun was setting in the distance.
As the tweet went viral on Sunday, fans sent Jackson well wishes, with one Twitter user writing, “Stay strong Mr Jackson. You have brought such wonderful music into our lives via your wonderful family.”
Jackson was also on the mind of his daughter Janet Jackson on Friday, when she praised her “incredible” father while accepting the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards’ Impact trophy.
Joe has been battling the illness “for some time,” TMZ reported on Friday, but is “at the end stages” and the “cancer cannot be treated.”
Family members, including Joe’s 88-year-old wife Katherine Jackson, have been at his bedside, sources told TMZ. Jackson’s children and grandchildren have also made visits.