Joe Jr had always had a hard time with his father's fame. He and the elder DiMaggio had barely spoken for years before his father's death. When he was younger his father was barely in his life; he never attended his son's football games and his parent's would send their son away to camps, military schools, and boarding school. "They threw the man away." said his ex-wife, Sue.
As an adult he held jobs here and there, though he never stayed with them long. He drifted from his wife and step-children, but his father was close to his daughter-in-law and called her children "my grandchildren."
When his father was dying he rarely visited him. His father used to walk the streets looking for his son as his address changed often and he would sometimes be homeless. When his father did die he was living in a trailer, and worked in a junkyard. "My lifestyle is diametrically opposed to my father's." he once said. His father left him a $20,000 a year trust fund.
He died 5 months after his father.
At his dad's funeral, Joe Jr was one of six pallbearers. His uncle Dommie was also a pallbearer, and barely spoke to his brother before he got sick. The brothers tried to patch up their relationship before he passed away. Dommie is now the sole surviving brother.
Joe DiMaggio, Jr. died on arrival to Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, California. His ashes were scattered at sea. Attempts at resuscitation were performed, but to no avail. He was officially pronounced dead at 11:25pm.
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