TOLEDO, OHIO: Joe Wurzelbacher, who was shot to fame following his challenge to then-presidential candidate Barack Obama on his tax plan in 2008, died at the age of 49 on Sunday, August 27, Fox News reports.
Wurzelbacher, a native of Toledo, Ohio, was battling Stage 3 pancreatic cancer, according to a GiveSendGo page. It also noted that he was a military veteran who was recently undergoing treatment at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital and the University of Michigan Hospital.
Wurzelbacher's friend first informed about his demise
“It's with great sadness that I post this update: Joe passed away earlier this morning and entered our Lord's heavenly home,” a friend wrote on the page before adding “Joe had been too sick/in too much pain to get out of bed lately and his goal was to get Katie and their kids moved to her hometown surrounded by family.”
His wife, Katie Wurzelbacher, wrote that doctors “ran tests and performed scans which showed a mass in the head of his pancreas,” noting he had lost 70 pounds.
Wurzelbacher spoke about his diagnosis last month
Wurzelbacher, commonly known as "Joe the Plumber", spoke with CBN’s Faithwire about his diagnosis, last month. “I just honestly started crying,” he told the outlet. “There’s a lot of great people out there…they’re wanting to do good and, when they find they’re able to, most people will.”
“It’s astounding and just gives you more faith in people,” he added, per the outlet. “My wife and I sat and cried for a while and thanked God.” The conservative activist and commentator who now leaves behind four children between ages 5 and 25, said at the time that his diagnosis “changed his perspective” on life.
“They know daddy has stomach problems and that I’m sick, but they don’t know the full scope of things,” he told the outlet. “Until it becomes necessary to say anything, I don’t want them thinking about losing their father.” “God doesn’t promise us an easy road,” Wurzelbacher told the outlet. “He just promises to be there for us when we go on these roads.”
Wurzelbacher rose to fame in Obama’s 2008 campaign
The former plumber became famous after coming to the political limelight at Obama’s 2008 campaign stop near his hometown. “I’m getting ready to buy a company that makes $250-280,000 a year. Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?” he asked Obama, according to a video shared by the Associated Press.
Obama admitted that Wurzelbacher would face higher taxes, but wanted to offer smaller businesses a tax break to “spread the wealth around,” per the outlet.
Republican Sen. John McCain brought Wurzelbacher along on his campaign
Republican Sen John McCain, who was running against Obama, brought the plumber along on his campaign stops with his running mate, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at that time. He instantly became a point of focus at the final presidential debate between McCain and Obama, with “Joe the Plumber” becoming a way of reference to almost every American.
“I once told Joe that he was a walking metaphor,” friend Kerri Toloczko wrote on Facebook. "He was a remarkable combination of humble and brash. He was a metaphor for what American citizens should be: more important than government with the right to speak truth to power — and the courage. His response? 'I was just worried about my bank account. I need to go try and get an interview with that guy ...'"
“Classic,” Toloczko continued, adding “prayers of comfort and strength” as Katie and his children “weather Joe’s loss with a full portion of gratitude for his life and a full portion of grief.”
