After news came Friday that Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson has been hospitalized with terminal cancer, the controversial former Jackson 5 manager seemed to confirm in a tweet that he doesn't have long to live.

"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."

Hundreds of fans responded with messages of both sadness and encouragement, with many thanking him for "sharing" his family with the world, and others suggesting that he will eventually be reunited with his son, Michael.

Jackson's 11 children include the late Michael Jackson, and his sister Janet Jackson, who became the family's biggest stars. He also helped launch and manage the Jackson 5, which featured Michael alongside his brothers Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and Jackie.

But Jackson has had a tumultuous relationship with his children, several of whom have alleged he physically abused them as children, and it was first reported that family was barred from the elder Jackson's hospital. Later, several family members, including his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter were granted access.

Nonetheless, Janet paid tribute to her father on Saturday night, when she accepted an Impact Award at the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards. "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," she said. "My mother nourished me with the most extravagant love imaginable, my father, my incredible father, drove me to be the best that I can," she added.

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