R.I.P.: A History of Athletes Who Died During Their Prime

From Lou Gehrig to Jose Fernandez, the history of sports is filled with tragic stories of athletes who died in their prime. Their deaths often leave a major hole on the field, but an even larger one off of it. These are 27 athletes who died during their prime.

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Although the life of a professional athlete is certainly exciting, there’s also a lot at stake. An injury, for example, can make it all come crashing down. Knee injuries and Tommy John surgery loom over the head of any athlete—these are injuries that end seasons, and even careers.

Few athletes, however, expect to lose their lives while playing.

It’s always a tragedy to lose someone young. In athletics, having an athlete pass away can affect not just the athlete’s family and friends, but the team, the league, and even the fans who watch the athlete play on a regular basis. These deaths can shake fanbases, and alter the course of team history for franchises for decades.

Just this week, former Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich said that everything changed for the team after José Fernández passed away. Had he still been alive, Yelich felt, Miami may be in the process of contending for a playoff spot now, instead of selling off their best players. And it’s hard to argue this; aside from the on-field loss of talent taken from losing arguably their best player, the loss of Fernandez clearly took an emotional toll on the Marlins team, as he was one of the most beloved players in the clubhouse.

Star athletes passing away in the prime of their careers isn’t particularly common, thank goodness, but it is common enough that there are several instances of a citywide mourning following a professional athlete’s death. Each death—regardless of the circumstances—is a true tragedy, felt by a community even bigger than the team itself.

Here are 27 professional athletes who died while in their prime, taken from their family, friends, and fans much too soon.

Lou Gehrig

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Age: 37 (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941)

Cause of Death: ALS



Gehrig remains one of baseball’s most iconic players almost 80 years after his last game. He tore up the majors in the 1920s and 30s, finishing his career with a .340 lifetime average. Gehrig played a whopping 2,130 consecutive games — a record that seemed unbreakable at the time.



But in 1939, something wasn’t right. Gehrig was batting just .143 eight games into the season, and decided to bench himself for the good of the team, missing his first game in 14 years. Gehrig would never play again, as he soon found out he was suffering from ALS. That Fourth of July, he gave his famous speech, and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in a special election that December. Baseball writers waived the typical six-year wait period so that Gehrig would live to see his induction. He passed away in 1941, less than three weeks shy of his 38th birthday.

Ernie Davis

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Age: 23 (Dec. 14, 1939 – May 18, 1963)

Cause of Death: Leukemia

Davis was the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961, while playing running back for Syracuse. He looked to be headed into a promising NFL career; he was taken No. 1 in the draft by the Redskins, and was later traded to the Browns. Sadly, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after being drafted in 1962, and never played in an NFL game.

Brian Piccolo

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Age: 26 (Oct. 31, 1943 – June 16, 1970)

Cause of Death: Cancer

Piccolo spent five years with the Bears as a reserve running back before his cancer diagnosis in 1969, and was the subject of the classic TV movie “Brian’s Song” in 1971. Piccolo rushed for 927 yards over four seasons, serving as the backup to his close friend and Hall of Famer Gale Sayers. The Bears retired Piccolo’s No. 41 shortly after his death, making him one of just five Bears players who played in the Super Bowl era to have his number retired by the team.

Roberto Clemente

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Age: 38 (Aug. 18, 1934 – Dec. 31, 1972)

Cause of Death: Airplane crash



When Clemente recorded his 3,000th hit in his final regular-season at-bat of the 1972 season, there was no indication it would be his last. He had just batted .312, and showed no sign of decline, despite the fact that he had reached 38 years of age.



But when Nicaragua was hit by an earthquake in December of 1972, Clemente felt compelled to act., and almost immediately arranged to go to Nicaragua to provide relief. He took off on New Year’s Eve in 1972, and never returned. His plane crashed, and all five passengers on the plane were killed.



MLB now awards the Roberto Clemente Award to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual's contribution to his team." The award, which was originally called the Commissioner's Award, was re-named for Clemente in 1973.

Don Wilson

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Age: 29 (Feb. 12, 1945 – Jan. 5, 1975)

Cause of Death: Carbon monoxide poisoning

Wilson was one of the better pitchers of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s: He posted a lifetime 3.15 ERA, pitched two no-hitters, and was an All-Star in 1971. Wilson died after he left his car running in his garage in 1975 (his death was ruled an accident). The Astros retired his number the following season — he played his entire nine-year career in Houston.

Lyman Bostock

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Age: 27 (Nov. 22, 1950 – Sept. 23, 1978)

Cause of Death: Murder



At the time of his murder, Bostock was establishing himself as one of baseball’s best hitters. He had batted .311 over four MLB seasons, and received MVP votes in his final two. He was murdered while driving his friend and her sister home late in the 1978 season. His friend’s sister’s husband confronted them with a gun, after concluding that his wife was having an affair with Bostock — despite the fact that Bostock had just met the woman that night. He intended to kill his wife, but killed Bostock instead.

Thurman Munson

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Age: 32 (June 7, 1947 – Aug. 2, 1979)

Cause of Death: Airplane crash

The Yankees captain and 1976 AL MVP took up flying in order to see his family in Ohio more often. Unfortunately, Munson was killed while practicing landings in 1979, in one of the most tragic moments in baseball history. Munson’s locker at old Yankee Stadium remained untouched from the time of his death until the stadium was demolished in 2008. It currently rests in the Yankees museum at the new stadium.

Pelle Lindbergh

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Age: 26 (May 24, 1959 – Nov. 11, 1985)

Cause of Death: Car accident

Just before his death, Lindbergh had won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie in 1985. He was killed in a single-car crash the following season; his blood alcohol level was more than double the legal limit at the time of the crash.

Len Bias

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Age: 23 (Nov. 18, 1963 – June 19, 1986)

Cause of Death: Cocaine overdose



Len Bias was one of the most dominant college basketball players in the country during his time in Maryland; he was a two-time All-American and two-time ACC Player of the Year. The Celtics, that year’s NBA champions, selected him No. 2 overall, which would have put one of the game’s best young players on a team with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish.



But just two days after he was drafted, Bias died of a cocaine overdose at just 23 years old. It’s hard to imagine the 80s Celtics playing much better than they did, but if Bias had lived, that could have very well been the case.

Hank Gathers

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Age: 23 (Feb. 11, 1967 – March 4, 1990)

Cause of Death: Heart disorder



Gathers was a monster for Loyola Marymount University in the 1980s. He became just the second player in NCAA history to lead Division I in both scoring and rebounds when he did it in the 1988-89 season, and was well on his way to the NBA.



However, Gathers collapsed during a game against Portland on March 4, 1990, and died shortly after that. He had been suffering from a heart condition, and had reportedly cut back on his medication dosages because he felt they had adversely affected his playing ability. Gathers’ death remains one of the most tragic on-court scenes in sports history.

Jerome Brown

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Age: 27 (Feb. 4, 1965 – June 25, 1992)

Cause of Death: Car accident



After a standout career at Miami during the program’s heyday, Jerome Brown had established himself as one of the best defensive lineman in the NFL. Paired with teammate Reggie White, the Eagles’ defensive line quickly became one of the most difficult for opposing teams to prep for. Brown posted 20.5 sacks from 1989-91, and was named All-Pro in his final two seasons.



But tragedy struck in 1992, when Brown and his 12-year-old nephew were killed in a car crash. White emotionally broke the news to many Eagles fans at a Billy Graham crusade event on the night of Brown’s death. He was scheduled to speak about his faith, but found out just moments before he was supposed to go up that Brown had been killed.

Drazen Petrovic

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Age: 28 (Oct. 22, 1964 – June 7, 1993)

Cause of Death: Car accident



Petrovic was one of the greatest EuroLeague players of all time before coming to the NBA in 1989. He had won two league championships, and was named one of the league’s 50 greatest players in 1991. It took Petrovic a few years to establish himself in the NBA, but he looked well on his way to stardom with the Nets when he was killed in a car accident, shortly after the 1992-93 season.

Reggie Lewis

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Age: 27 (Nov. 21, 1965 – July 27, 1993)

Cause of Death: Cardiac arrest

Less than two months after Petrovic was killed, tragedy struck the NBA again. Celtics star Reggie Lewis suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during a practice in late July, and died instantly. Lewis’ death left the Celtics without their biggest star—Lewis had been the team’s leading scorer in each of the prior two seasons, and he was named to the All-Star team in 1992.

Bobby Phills

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Age: 30 (Dec. 20, 1969 – Jan. 12, 2000)

Cause of Death: Car accident



Phills was a solid player throughout his nine NBA seasons with the Cavs and Hornets, averaging double figures six times. Phills’ career and life were cut short when he was killed in a car accident midway through the 1999-00 season.

Derrick Thomas

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Age: 33 (Jan. 1, 1967 – Feb. 8, 2000)

Cause of Death: Car accident



Few pass rushers have been more prolific than Derrick Thomas was in the 1990s. He was a nine-time Pro Bowler and is 16th all-time in sacks; he even recorded seven sacks during a single game in 1998.

Thomas was speeding through a snowstorm, going 100 miles per hour without a seatbelt on, when he got into a car accident in January 2000. He was paralyzed from the chest down and passed away a few weeks later due to complications.

Malik Sealy

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Age: 30 (Feb. 1, 1970 – May 20, 2000)

Cause of Death: Vehicular manslaughter



Sealy averaged 10.1 points per game in eight NBA seasons, serving as a solid swingman with the Pacers, Clippers, Pistons, and Timberwolves. In Minnesota, Sealy became very close with Kevin Garnett, and attended his 24th birthday party. He was killed by a drunk driver on his way home from the party, who had been driving on the wrong side of the road.



While he was with the Nets, Garnett wore No. 2 in honor of Sealy, who wore the number with the Timberwolves.

Korey Stringer

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Age: 27 (May 8, 1974 – Aug. 1, 2001)

Cause of Death: Heat stroke



Stringer was a pivotal part of the dominant Vikings teams of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s as the team’s left tackle. He was named a Pro Bowler in 2000 for his standout ability to protect his quarterback's’ blind side.



Sadly, Stringer suffered heat stroke during training camp practice in 2001, and died the next day. What was most tragic about Stringer’s death was that it was entirely preventable. Today, the Korey Stringer Institute exists at UConn to prevent sudden deaths in sports.

Darryl Kile

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Age: 33 (Dec. 2, 1968 – June 22, 2002)

Cause of Death: Coronary disease



Kile’s pitching career included three All-Star nods, two top-five Cy Young voting finishes, and a no-hitter in 1993. He was one of the better pitchers of his day.



But prior to a June day game between Kile’s Cardinals and the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Kile was absent. When someone from the Cardinals organization went to his hotel room to check on him, Kile was found dead in the room.



Then-Cubs catcher Joe Girardi made a tearful announcement to the fans that day that the game had been canceled, although he did not say specifically that Kile had passed away. “I regret to inform you that because of a tragedy in the Cardinals' family, today's game has been canceled," Girardi said. "Please be respectful when you find out eventually what has happened. I ask that you say a prayer for the St. Louis Cardinal family."

Pat Tillman

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Age: 28 (Nov. 6, 1976 – April 22, 2004)

Cause of Death: Friendly fire



In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, Tillman declined a $3.6 million contract offer from the Cardinals to join the U.S. Army. He served tours of duty in both Afghanistan and Iraq before being killed during a friendly fire incident in 2004. Tillman’s decision to forgo a multi-million dollar NFL contract for the military has since become a cornerstone tale of heroism in American lore.

Cory Lidle

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Age: 34 (March 22, 1972 – Oct. 11, 2006)

Cause of Death: Plane crash



Lidle was a solid starting pitcher in eight big-league seasons, winning over ten games five times. He was flying a small private airplane when he crashed into a residential building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which killed both Lidle and his flight instructor and injured 26 others. The Yankees wore black armbands the following year to commemorate Lidle.

Darrent Williams

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Age: 24 (Sept. 27, 1982 – Jan. 1, 2007)

Cause of Death: Murder



A Broncos second-round pick in 2005, Williams quickly emerged as a legitimate starting cornerback. He started 14 games in 2006, while recording four interceptions and nine passes defensed. Sadly, during a 2007 New Year’s Eve celebration at a Colorado nightclub, Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting.

Sean Taylor

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Age: 24 (April 1, 1983 – Nov. 27, 2007)

Cause of Death: Murder



Taylor was one of the hardest-hitting safeties in the NFL during his time with the Redskins. His hit on Brian Moorman during the 2006 Pro Bowl remains just about the only memorable play in Pro Bowl history.

On November 26, 2007, burglars entered Taylor’s house, and one of the intruders shot Taylor in the leg, hitting a femoral artery. He suffered severe blood loss and died shortly after the initial shot. Five people were charged in Taylor’s death, and all five were convicted.

Chris Henry

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Age: 26 (May 17, 1983 – Dec. 17, 2009)

Cause of Death: Head trauma



Henry spent five seasons as a solid reserve wide receiver with the Bengals. However, his time with the team was marred with several run-ins with the law, including gun, assault, and drunk driving charges. Henry was killed after he fell off the back of a moving truck that his fiancé was driving, following a domestic dispute.



After his death, doctors found that Henry had been suffering from CTE.

Oscar Taveras

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Age: 22 (June 19, 1992 – Oct. 26, 2014)

Cause of Death: Car accident



Taveras was supposed to be the next great Cardinals position player. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 2 prospect in the game headed into the 2013 season, ahead of current MLB stars like Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts, and Carlos Correa. He made his MLB debut in 2014, and was well on his way to stardom.



During the 2014 offseason, Taveras drove into a tree in his native Dominican Republic, killing both himself and his girlfriend, who was a passenger in the car. Taveras’ blood-alcohol content at the time of the crash was about six times the legal limit in the Dominican Republic.

José Fernández

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Age: 24 (July 31, 1992 – Sept. 25, 2016)

Cause of Death: Boat accident



Fernández was a superstar from his rookie season in 2013 until his death in 2016. As a rookie, Fernandez posted a 2.19 ERA, finished third in Cy Young voting, and was named Rookie of the Year. After missing much of the next two seasons with Tommy John surgery, Fernandez came back in 2016 to his typical All-Star form.



This was sadly his last season in the majors. Fernández and two other men were killed in a boating accident late in the 2016 season; his boat was found overturned on a jetty. Fernández was operating the boat at the time of the crash, and toxicology reports revealed he had both alcohol and cocaine in his system at the time of the crash.

Yordano Ventura

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Age: 25 (June 3, 1991 – Jan. 22, 2017)

Cause of Death: Car accident



Ventura was a pivotal part of the Royals’ 2015 World Series champion team; he went 13-8 that season, and also went 14-10 in 2014, when Kansas City won the AL pennant. The potential Ventura possessed as a player was seemingly limitless; he consistently touched 100 miles per hour on his fastball, and figured heavily into the Royals’ future.



He was killed when he lost control of his car, which flipped over, while in his native Dominican Republic. Ventura was pronounced dead at the scene.

Edwin Jackson

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Age: 26 (Dec. 19, 1991 – Feb. 4, 2018)

Cause of Death: Car accident



Edwin Jackson made his way from an undrafted free-agent cut by the Cardinals in camp to a starting linebacker for the Colts. He started eight games in 2016, recording 42 tackles and two sacks. Jackson and an Uber driver were killed by a drunk driver after pulling over on the side of the road.

Steve Prefontaine

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Age: 24 (Jan. 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975)

Cause of Death: Car accident

Prior to the running boom of the '70s, it was a rare occurrence to see average Joes jogging around the neighborhood block. One of the figures behind that boom (and one of the few who could make running seem badass) was Steve Prefontaine. He set records in several track events ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 meters and won gold at the 1971 Pan American Games. As he prepared for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Prefontaine was killed when he lost control of his car just outside of the Oregon University campus.

Salvador Sanchez

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Age: 23 (Jan. 26, 1959 – Aug. 12, 1982)

Cause of Death: Car accident

With a record of 44-1-1 (32 KOs), Sanchez is considered one of the greatest featherweight boxers of all time. At 21, he won the WBC featherweight title and went on to successfully defend the title 10 times in a two-year period. Sadly, less than a month after his final bout he was killed in a car accident while driving in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.

Tim Richmond

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Age: 34 (June 7, 1955 - Aug. 13, 1989)

Cause of Death: AIDS

Prior to Tim Richmond, the average sports fan's historic view of NASCAR drivers might've been good ol' boys from down South who live just to drive around in circles for hours on end. But Richmond's playboy charisma shook up the world of NASCAR. Oh yeah, he could race, too. He won the 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award and won 13 races over his eight season career, including one over the late Dale Earnhardt at Pocono in 1986. But by the end of that year Richmond fell sick and was eventually diagnosed with AIDS. He would have one last victory at the Budweiser 400 in 1987 before dying from the disease two years later.

Dale Earnhardt

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Age: 49 (April 29, 1951 – Feb. 18, 2001)

Cause of Death: Skull fracture suffered during the 2001 Daytona 500 

With seven Winston Cup Series championships and 76 career victories, it's safe to say that few, if any, in NASCAR history raced as hard as Dale Earnhardt. The Intimidator's aggressive style on the track made him a favorite among NASCAR fans and a hated rival among some drivers. Earnhardt's death came in a seemingly innocuous crash on the fourth turn of the final lap at 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt will always be remembered for passing at the same race he had won three years earlier, and competing with the same relentless style that led to his Hall of Fame career.

Dan Snyder

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Age: 25 (Feb. 23, 1978 – Oct. 5, 2003)

Cause of Death: Car accident

Snyder signed with the Atlanta Thrashers as an undrafted free agent in 1999 after spending years improving his game as a junior player in Canada. Not the most skilled player, but a winner and team leader at every stop of his career, Snyder died after playing only 49 NHL games in parts of three seasons, the victim of a car crash in a vehicle driven by star teammate Dany Heatley.

Antonio Puerta

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Age: 22 (Nov. 26, 1984 – Aug. 28, 2007)

Cause of Death: Cardiac arrest; arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

In his first season with Sevilla, Puerta scored this pivotal game-winning goal to beat Schalke in the 2006 UEFA Cup semifinals. The next season Puerta would come through in the clutch again by netting a penalty kick in Sevilla's victory over Espanyol in the 2007 UEFA Cup Final. Three months later, during the club's first match of the season, Puerta collapsed on the pitch from cardiac arrest and died three days later. His condition was later found to be an inherited form of heart disease.

Nick Adenhart

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Age: 22 (Aug. 24, 1986 – April 9, 2009)

Cause of Death: Killed in a car accident by a drunk driver.

On the night of the first start of what looked to be his first full major league season, Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver while riding with friends not far from the Anaheim Angels home stadium. Once seen as a potential first round pick, Adenhart injured his elbow in his final high school game, but rehabbed quickly from Tommy John surgery to become one of the most promising young arms in baseball. The driver that killed him blew a .19 two hours after the crash.

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