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."