Mount Nittany Medical Center has released a statement on the death of former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno.
On January 22, 2012 at 9:25 am, Joseph V. Paterno died of metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung at Mount Nittany Medical Center, State College, Pennsylvania. Joe was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing, and they request privacy during this difficult time.
Paterno was diagnosed with lung cancer shortly after losing his job at Penn State. Paterno’s cancer was initially described as “treatable.” In mid-January, he was admitted to the hospital due to “complications” from his cancer treatments.
It was initially reported that Paterno had died Saturday night, but his sons stepped in to report that those reports were false. It was also reported Saturday that he was “near death,” and no one disputed that.
Paterno was 85. He won 409 games as a head football coach.