Joe Exotic‘s health issues have worsened, but he doesn’t want to do anything about it.
According to a letter obtained by TMZ on Friday, the Tiger King star’s prostate cancer may have spread to his bladder, but he is refusing treatment. This means he will likely die behind bars after being sentenced to 21 years in jail for a murder-for-hire plot against his rival Carole Baskin.
In the note the media personality, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, reportedly wrote, the former zookeeper claims he’s been experiencing a lot of blood in his urine after undergoing prostate cancer treatment. Apparently, he met with his urology specialist on Wednesday, who fears the cancer is spreading rapidly. Medics want him to undergo a series of tests to know for sure, but he is refusing to do any treatment.
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In the letter, he wrote:
“I want to stay here and just let it take its course.”
Interestingly, there seem to be two reasons he’s not seeking treatment. On the one hand, it sounds like he’s had enough after already fighting his first round of cancer, but he’s also trying to make a statement:
“The world has to know just how corrupt our justice system is … If I have to be the one to die innocent in here fighting for the truth maybe people around the world will finally speak up for the truth for once.”
Joe’s been doing just about everything he can to get himself released from jail early, so the fact he’s willing to lay his life on the line in this way is telling.
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Earlier this month, TMZ also revealed that the 59-year-old wrote a new will and left everything to his fiancé, Seth Posey, who he met over the internet after calling things off with his ex-husband, Dillon Passage. The outlet also reported he asked for a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order to be put in place in the off chance he should go into cardiac arrest or need life-saving measures. So, it sounds like he’s been preparing for the worse for some time now… Concluding his latest letter, he expressed:
“I could care less about dying, my birthday is coming up soon and all I want is to see Seth.”
It’s unclear how much time Joe has left to live without treatment. This health update comes after the wild cat fanatic announced he was diagnosed with “aggressive cancer” in May 2021. We’ll be thinking of him and his loved ones as they process this emotional decision.
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