Joe Jackson, patriarch of musical family of pop stars, dies at 89

Joe Jackson, the controversial patriarch of one of the most famous singing family acts of all time who used a firm hand to steer the careers of his superstar children, has died. He was 89.

Jackson plotted the career moves of the Jackson 5 starting in the 1960s, but was slowly relegated to the sidelines when his son Michael rocketed to global stardom as a solo artist during the next decade.

A person close to the Jackson family told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Jackson had died, but did not have additional information. (Most outlets have reported that Jackson was 89, but the autobiography of his wife, Katherine, said he was born Aug. 26, 1929.)

Representatives for several family members did not immediately respond to the Los Angeles Times' requests for comment.

A onetime amateur boxer, Jackson was working as a steelworker in Gary, Ind., when he began coaching his children to be singers, plotting a record deal even before it grew clear that Michael, then