Later, two of Paterno's sons issued tweets that refuted the websites' report.
"I appreciate the support & prayers," said Jay Paterno, who worked for his father as quarterbacks coach. "Joe is continuing to fight."
Scott Paterno tweeted, "CBS report is wrong. Dad is alive but in serious condition. We ask for your prayers and your privacy during this time."
Both sources of the erroneous reports used social media to apologize.
A statement issued earlier Saturday night by McGinn on behalf of the family said that Paterno had "experienced further health complications" and that his doctors "have now characterized his status as serious."
"His family will have no comment on the situation and asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time," the statement concluded.
NBC News reported that continued chemotherapy treatments had created complications for Paterno that resulted in his going back into the hospital eight days ago.
Paterno's lung cancer was disclosed by his family on Nov. 18, nine days after he was fired by the university's board of trustees in the wake of the child sexual abuse scandal that was revealed following the indictment on Nov. 5 of former Paterno assistant Jerry Sandusky.
At the time, the family called it a "treatable" form of lung cancer. But after Paterno suffered a broken pelvis in a fall at his home, he was admitted to the hospital Dec. 11 to make it easier for him to receive chemotherapy and radiation. He originally had injured his pelvis early in pre-season practice in August when he was run into by wide receiver Devon Smith.
