Paterno died of spreading cancer

Published Jan. 22, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Pennsylvania hospital where Joe Paterno died confirms that the cause was a spreading lung cancer.

Mount Nittany Medical Center says in a statement that Paterno died at 9:25 a.m. Sunday of ''metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung.'' Metastatic indicates an illness that has spread from one part of the body to an unrelated area.

The hospital says Paterno was surrounded by family members, who have requested privacy.

Paterno's son had said in November that his father had been diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer during a follow-up visit for a bronchial illness.