The 53-year-old music executive was part of the legendary empire — based in Englewood — founded in the 1970s and led by his parents, Sylvia and Joseph Robinson Sr. Sylvia, a successful songstress herself, was dubbed “the mother of hip-hop,” and the label’s talent, the Sugarhill Gang, put the music on the map with the hit “Rapper’s Delight” in 1979. The song was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.

Joseph Robinson Jr. was executor of the Sugarhill Music Publishing estate, helping to keep his family’s legacy alive.

In addition to tending to the business side of the label, Robinson in 1985 became a member of the Sugarhill Gang, replacing Guy O’Brien and touring with Big Bank Hank and other band members.

Robinson, known as Joey, was released Friday from Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, where he had been hospitalized since May 17 with cancer, his brother Leland said. Robinson died at the home in Tenafly  he shared with Leland, 49.

Standing at the entrance to the house Sunday, Leland said his family had endured several losses of loved ones and associates recently. All three Robinson brothers — Joey, Leland and the youngest, Rhondo — were involved in the family business. Rhondo, of Englewood, died in February 2014 at age 43 of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Big Bank Hank, born Henry Jackson, died of cancer at age 57 last November.

“When my parents passed away, he became like a father figure,” Leland said of Joey. “He was good to everybody.”

Joseph Robinson Sr. died in 2000 and Sylvia Robinson, who had a popular 1973 single, “Pillow Talk,” died in 2011.

The Robinson family had their share of troubles. A copyright dispute over the Sugarhill Gang’s moniker was chronicled in the documentary “I Want My Name Back.” One author of a book on hip-hop’s history claimed the Robinsons had a reputation for withholding payments to their artists. And all three brothers ran afoul of the law in 2012 when they pleaded guilty to charges that they failed to file federal tax returns for several years.

The family’s label built up a large catalog of songs from 1979 through 1986, and the three brothers received royalties from those properties. The Sugar Hill Studio in Englewood, where “Rapper’s Delight” was first recorded, burned down in 2002.

In some ways, the Robinson hip-hop and rap dynasty mirrors the music family depicted by the Fox TV hit “Empire.”

‘A good businessman’

On Sunday in Tenafly, family members came in and out of the green and yellow corner house where Robinson died. The home, surrounded by trees, has a backyard swimming pool and tennis court.

With the commercialization and crossover of hip-hop and rap music, Robinson handled the royalties and music publishing whenever such artists as Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Justin Timberlake sampled music from his family’s catalog, according to a news release on his death.

“We did a lot of work together,” said rapper Melle Mel, who said he had known the Robinson family for years. “It’s very unfortunate. ... He was a fairly young guy. He had all the bells and whistles of life and he can’t continue enjoying it. … He knew how to keep talented people around him, so that’s why he was successful. He was a good businessman.”

In a statement, rap artist Juelz Santana said: “This is a major blow to the Robinson family. My condolences go out to all of the friends, family members, and fans of the Sugar Hill movement.”

Many people on social media posted condolences, crediting Sugar Hill Records with helping to pave the way for many hip-hop artists. Some circulated a picture of Robinson with “RIP” under it.

During his illness, Robinson had so many visitors at Holy Name Medical Center, his brother said, that the family had to curtail those visits. “He’s loved by a lot of people,” Leland said.

A doctor whom Robinson met in Florida flew his private jet to New Jersey on Friday to try to help him, Leland said.

“He said if there was something he could do for him, he’d put Joey on a jet and fly him right back to his hospital in Florida,” Leland said. “He tried his best to do everything for him. We tried everything for him.”

The family declined to say what kind of cancer Robinson had.

Tax problems

In March 2012, all three Robinson brothers pleaded guilty to charges that they failed to file federal tax returns. Joey Robinson failed to file his tax returns for 2006 and 2007, when he had a combined income of more than $580,000. The other brothers pleaded guilty to similar charges, and all three were sentenced to three years’ probation, 400 hours of community service and three months of home confinement.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk declined to sentence the three brothers to prison, despite the prosecution’s recommendation of incarceration, citing the charitable work they had done and their lack of criminal records.

At his sentencing, Robinson told the judge he was “totally remorseful” and took full responsibility for his actions. He also talked about his family business’s history, introducing “a whole new genre of music, rap music, to the world.”

Leland said Sunday that in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, he and Joey Robinson provided meals to more than 1,000 people from an Englewood Simply Seafood restaurant that Leland part-owned at the time. The brothers also sponsored a midnight basketball league in Englewood with then-city Police Detective Scott Jenkins, Leland said, and worked with Newark’s Integrity House, which helps people with addictions.

The two brothers last year taught a class called “Sugar Hill at Bergen” at Bergen Community College. The course was about the music industry and its business side.

Robinson’s wake and funeral are scheduled for July 21 at Community Baptist Church in Englewood. Interment will be at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus.

Email: moss@northjersey.com