Joe the Plumber cause of death: What happened to Joe the Plumber?
Isabella Campbell
Updated on January 08, 2026
Joe the Plumber cause of death: What happened to Joe the Plumber? – Joe the Plumber, an American conservative activist and commentator born Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, died at age 49 after a battle with cancer. According to his close friends, he passed away Sunday (August 27, 2023) morning after a months-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Born on December 3, 1973, Joe rose to fame during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign season when, during a videotaped campaign stop in Ohio by Democratic nominee Barack Obama, raised concerns that Obama’s tax policy would increase taxes on small business owners. Joe was a member of the Republican Party.
Wurzelbacher was named “Joe the Plumber” by the McCain-Palin campaign after expressing his desire to purchase a small plumbing business to then-Senator Obama. The campaign invited him to make many appearances at campaign events in Ohio. McCain frequently used “Joe the Plumber” as a metaphor for middle-class Americans in campaign speeches and during the final presidential debate.
Wurzelbacher became a prominent conservative activist, commentator, author, and motivational speaker. In 2012, he ran on the Republican ticket to represent Ohio’s 9th congressional district in the House of Representatives but lost to Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur.
Joe was born in Toledo, Ohio but moved to Florida with his family when he was young.
He returned to Toledo when he was in the middle of high school and after high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and chose plumbing (Air Force Specialty Code 3E451, or Utility Systems Specialist) as his area of training. He was stationed in Alaska and North Dakota.
He left the Air Force in 1996 and worked as a plumber’s assistant, but then switched careers and started working for the telecommunications company Global Crossing.
Joe the Plumber is survived by his wife Katie, their three young children – Samantha Jo, Henry, and Sarah Jo – and an adult son, Joey, from a previous marriage.
