Joe Simpson Opens Up to Daughter Ashlee About His Aggressive Cancer Battle

Ashlee Simpson and Joe Simpson
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Ashlee and Jessica Simpson's dad revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016.

Joe Simpson is beyond relieved to be cancer-free!

In a sneak peek of Sunday’s episode of Ashlee + Evan on E!, the 60-year-old father of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson recalls his 2016 prostate cancer battle.   

“A year ago changed my life. I remember saying to the doctor, ‘What if I don’t have surgery?’ He said, ‘In six months, you’ll be dead,’” Joe tells Ashlee. “I really wrestled with just saying, ‘I’ll see you guys later.’”

Ashlee, 33, is certainly overjoyed that her dad went through with the treatment, telling him through misty eyes, "Definitely not that time. I'm not ready for that."

While his fight with cancer wasn’t easy, Joe assures Ashlee that he simply couldn’t leave his family behind.

"I couldn't do that to you and to your sister and to my little grandbabies," Joe tells his youngest daughter, who has her two children of her own, Jagger, 3, and Bronx, 9, while her sister, Jessica, is mom to Maxwell, 6, and Ace, 5, and is currently pregnant.

“You're so strong," Ashlee praises her dad. "I'm just so happy you're here." 

Joe was initially diagnosed with prostate cancer back in September 2016, and underwent surgery in October of that year. Following the procedure, a source told ET that Joe’s cancer was a “blessing in disguise.”  

"It has opened his eyes to eating healthier and exercising,” the source said. “This diagnosis has brought Joe and his family together and reminded him that what matters most is family."

According to the source, Ashlee and Jessica were “devastated” by the news, but became a support system for their father.

"They are being positive, uplifting forces for him and are helping him get through this," the source said at the time. "With Joe's faith in God and his family's support, he knows he will come out of this strong."

Here’s more on Joe’s cancer battle:

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