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‘Joe the Plumber,’ Who Rose to Fame After Confronting Obama, Dies at 49

Joe Wurzelbacher announced that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this summer.

“Joe the Plumber,” an Ohio man named Joe Wurzelbacher who inspired national headlines after angrily confronting then-presidential candidate Barack Obama about his tax policies during a campaign stop in 2008, has died, his family wrote in a GiveSendGo fundraiser. Wurzelbacher, who was 49, announced in July that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Following his viral interaction with Obama, Wurzelbacher became a conservative activist, campaigning with Republican nominee John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin. Several years later in 2016, he said in an interview with Reuters that he would throw his support behind Donald Trump’s bid for the White House, calling the real estate mogul a “winner.” He added: “He’s made billions. He’s dated beautiful women. His wife is a model. That’s not to sniff at.” Wurzelbacher is survived by his wife and three young children.