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The Penn State legend was reportedly been joined by friends and family after being taken off a respirator in his State College hospital bed Saturday. The longtime Nittany Lions football coach, who last week spoke to a reporter for the first time since news of the Jerry Sandusky child-sex-abuse scandal rocked Penn State, was told he had lung cancer days after he was given his walking papers by the university’s board of trustees in November. He was also hospitalized this year after an August accident during team practice left him with an injured pelvis, which he later fractured. He was briefly reported to have died by major media outlets, including The Daily Beast, after a report was posted on CBS Sports. A Paterno spokesman has denied the report and Paterno's son Joe Paterno tweeted "Dad is alive but in serious condition. We continue to ask for your prayers and privacy during this time."