Edit: The Paterno family spokesman is denying the former Penn State coach has passed away:
Dan McGinn, the Paterno family spokesman, at 8:57 p.m. on reports about Joe Paterno's death: "Absolutely not true."
— Mark Viera (@markcviera) January 22, 2012
Read SB Nation editor Brian Floyd's explanation of and apology for our original report.
Original Story: Joe Paterno has died at the age of 85, surrounded by his family, according to multiple reports on Saturday evening. An email reportedly went out to current Penn State players informing them of the news.
The former Penn State head coach, fired by the university's Board of Trustees in November 2011 at the height of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, was in declining health after being removed from his duties. His son, Scott, made Paterno's lung cancer public in November, and Paterno fell and fractured his pelvis in December. He had been in and out of a hospital near his State College home, receiving treatment for cancer and other illness, but was reportedly taken off a respirator early on Saturday.
Paterno was Penn State's head coach for 46 years, and coached football at the school from 1950 until 2011. His final win came in his penultimate game as Penn State's head coach, with the Nittany Lions defeating Illinois in October, and gave Paterno the Division I-A/FBS record for most wins by a head coach, passing Grambling's Eddie Robinson.
Paterno is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, the former Susan Pohland, five children, and 17 grandchildren.
For more on Paterno, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. For more college football, stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub.
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