‘Joe the plumber,’ the man who confronted Barack Obama on the campaign trail in 2008, passed away at the age of 49.

Recall, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, AKA, “Joe the Plumber,” became a central part of John McCain’s campaign after he confronted Obama on his Socialist tax-and-spend plan.

Wurzelbacher, a Christian plumber who was preparing to purchase a small business, confronted Obama in Toledo, Ohio and became an overnight sensation.

“I’m getting ready to buy a company that makes about $280,000 a year. Your new tax plan is going to tax me more,” Wurzelbacher said to Barack Obama.

Obama rattled off his Marxist talking points and eventually admitted Wurzelbacher’s taxes would indeed increase.

Barack Obama told ‘Joe the Plumber’ he should be happy to pay more taxes because it’s good to “spread the wealth around.”

Obama’s “spread the wealth around” comment to ‘Joe the Plumber’ was used in debates and campaign ads.

WATCH:

Wurzelbacher died of pancreatic cancer, according to his wife.

Fox News reported:

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who became known as “Joe the Plumber” after garnering national media attention for confronting then-presidential candidate Barack Obama on the 2008 campaign trail, died Sunday, his wife, Katie Wurzelbacher, confirmed Monday in an email to Fox News Digital. He was 49.

“Our hearts are broken. We lost a beloved husband, father, son, brother and friend. He made an impact on so many lives,” Katie Wurzelbacher wrote in a statement.

“When I met Joe he was already known by everyone else as ‘Joe the Plumber’ but he wrote something to me that stood out and showed me who he truly was: ‘just Joe,’” she said. “He was an average, honorable man trying to do great things for the country he loved so deeply after being thrust into the public eye for asking a question.”

“My heart goes out to everyone whose lives are impacted by cancer. There are so many ups and downs but we tried to find joy in every day. He fought long and hard, but is now free from pain,” Katie Wurzelbacher wrote Monday. “I don’t think of him as losing his battle. Because he knew Jesus, his battle was won.”