Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, dies aged 89

Joe Jackson, the father and early manager of Michael Jackson, has passed away at the age of 89, after a battle with cancer.

He managed his sons Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito along with Michael, launching the career of the Jackson 5 in the 1960s - before Michael and his daughter Janet later found success in their solo careers.

Earlier in June it was reported that Joe was hospitalised with terminal cancer, with his wife Katherine at his bedside and extended family visited the hospital. Son Jermaine has previously tweeted about his father's health on June 21, where he wrote that "For however long he has left, my mother, siblings and relatives want to be with him, without hindrance".

However, while Jermaine had said that it was an exaggeration to say that his father was 'dying', it seems that things took a more serious turn later in the week. On June 24, an update was posted onto Joe Jackson's Twitter page that cast the story in a new light. "I have seen more sunsets than I have left to see," he wrote. "The sun rises when the time comes and whether you like it or not the sun sets when the time comes."

Janet Jackson spoke of her father on June 22, in a speech at the Radio Disney Music Awards in Hollywood, where she was honoured with the Impact Award. In her speech, she said:

"It’s beautiful, it’s humbling to be recognized as someone that has had a positive impact, but if I have been fortunate enough to impact others it is only because I, myself, have been greatly impacted by positive people in my life."

"My mother nourished me with the most extravagant love imaginable. My father, my incredible father, drove me to be the best that I can."

In 2002, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame awarded him 'Best Entertainment Manager of All Time'. However, Joe Jackson has been a controversial figure, as his management of his children at an early age has been described as abusive by some.

"I'm glad I was tough, because look what I came out with," Jackson said in an interview in 2013. "I came out with some kids that everybody loved all over the world. And they treated everybody right."

He died at 3:30 am, in Los Angeles.