“Joe the Plumber,” an Ohio businessman who gained national acclaim for confronting Barack Obama about his tax plan during the 2008 presidential campaign, died Sunday. He was 49.
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher died from pancreatic cancer, according to the Daily Caller.
A GiveSendGo page set up to help his family with medical expenses said he was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer around the new year. He suffered from stomach issues for three months prior to that.
“Horrible news. My good friend Joe Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, passed away this morning at the age of 49 from pancreatic cancer,” conservative radio host Derek Hunter wrote Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He was a good man and an exceptional friend. Please consider helping his widow and young children here.”
Joe the Plumber became a media darling when he crossed paths with Mr. Obama in Toledo, Ohio, and asked the candidate how his new tax plan would affect filers above the $250,000 threshold.
“I’m getting ready to buy a company that makes about 250, 270,000 dollars a year. Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?” Mr. Wurzelbacher said.
PHOTOS: Celebrity deaths in 2023: The famous faces we've lost
Mr. Obama responded by saying, “It’s not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they’ve got a chance at success, too.”
Republican presidential candidate John McCain highlighted Joe the Plumber’s challenges during the closing weeks of the race. The Ohio businessman also was a fixture of the contenders’ third and final debate on Oct. 15, 2008, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
Mr. Wurzelbacher lost a 2012 congressional race to Marcy Kaptur in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.
Joe the Plumber was an Air Force veteran from 1991-96. He is survived by his wife, Katie, and four children.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.