Joe Jackson was hospitalized in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday afternoon as he was visiting the country to celebrate his 87th birthday on the same day he suffered a stroke.
Jackson, who is best known as the father of pop icons Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and as the patriarch of the musical family, was admitted to the Albert Einstein hospital in the intensive care unit, according to The Associated Press. A hospital statement did not specify exactly what condition Jackson is currently in.
The statement related that Jackson, who is diabetic, was diagnosed with a stroke that was associated with cardiac arrhythmia, and stated that he is
continuing to undergo treatment, according to Reuters. It is also rumored that the stroke has left Jackson at least temporarily blind, although the hospital has neither confirmed or
denied those reports, according to TMZ. He had been taken to the Sao Paulo hospital after reportedly waking up on Sunday morning feeling dizzy and lacking vision.
Family sources told TMZ that they are currently considering whether to risk flying Jackson back home to the U.S. for further tests and treatment. He has also reportedly suffered three strokes before in the past, the most recent of which occurred in 2012.
Whereas his wife, Katherine, was beloved by her 10 children, Joe Jackson has garnered a controversial reputation as a stern disciplinarian who struck fear into his children with his iron fist and strict work ethic,
according to an article written by CNN in 2009 following Michael’s death.
“As best as I could tell from both talking to [Michael] and my observations of the family throughout the years, Katherine was the one that had really unconditional love for Michael and was always there,” journalist Bryan Monroe, who conducted the last major interview with Michael Jackson, told CNN. “In my interview with him, [Michael] spoke almost in the same breath of the fear he had of Joseph's sternness . . . and at the same time the respect he had for Joseph's work ethics and his teachings. He said [Joseph] taught him and his brothers an awful lot about discipline and performance.”