Joe Jackson – Father + Manager – Dead At 89

The man who was at the helm of one of the rock era's biggest families - paternally and in business - has died.  News sources are reporting that Joe Jackson has passed away at the age of 89, following a battle with cancer.

If he had only been known for fathering the children that made up the Jackson family, he would have secured a place in the history of rock and roll.  However, he also played a significant role in managing and steering the careers (at least in the early years) of the Jackson 5 (later known as The Jackson's), along with the solo careers of the siblings - most notably Jermaine, La Toya, Michael, and Janet.

While his professional life was the picture of success, it would be glossing over history to not acknowledge the demons that threaded their way through his personal life.  Biographical accounts of Joe Jackson demonstrate a man who abused his children and carried on a decades-long affair with another woman while married to the Jackson's mother Katherine.

Arrangements are pending in California.