Longtime Chicago Cubs star and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg died on Monday, the team announced.
He was 65.
Sandberg died due to complications with cancer, something he was diagnosed with twice in 2024. He first revealed last January that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. Sandberg fended it off initially and said about eight months later that he was cancer-free.
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In December, however, Sandberg announced that it had spread to other organs in his body. That led him to undergo “more intensive treatment.”
“Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved figure throughout Major League Baseball,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “He was a five-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic … His many friends across the game were in his corner as he courageously fought cancer in recent years. We will continue to support the important work of Stand Up To Cancer in Ryne’s memory.
“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Ryne’s family, Cubs fans everywhere and his admirers throughout our National Pastime.”
Sandberg spent nearly all of his career in the league with the Cubs. After a 13-game stint with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1981, Sandberg then spent the next 15 seasons with the Cubs before he retired after the 1997 campaign. He made 10 straight All-Star appearances starting in 1984, which was the same year he won NL MVP honors while leading the league in both triples and runs scored.
Sandberg won seven Silver Slugger awards and nine Gold Gloves throughout his career. He led the NL with 40 home runs during the 1990 season, too, which is the same year he won the Home Run Derby at Wrigley Field.
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Sandberg rarely missed time, either. He played in at least 115 games in all but one of his seasons with the Cubs, and he surpassed 150 games in all but four seasons. Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Cubs retired his number that year, too.
Last season, the Cubs officially unveiled a statue outside of Wrigley Field honoring Sandberg.
Sandberg, who the Phillies took in the 20th round of the 1978 MLB Draft, grew up in Spokane, Washington. After his playing career ended, Sandberg spent time coaching with both the Cubs and Phillies organizations before he took over as the Phillies manager in 2013. He spent three seasons with the team, but resigned during the 2015 campaign. He finished with a 119-159 record as a manager, and only completed one full season.
“Ryne Sandberg had a relentless work ethic and an unshakable positive outlook. With it, he inspired all those who knew him,” Jane Forbes Clark, the chairman of the baseball Hall of Fame, said in a statement. “He always emphasized his respect for the way the game should be played, for his teammates and for the Hall of Fame, especially during his 2005 Induction speech. We send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Margaret, and his family, as we remember and celebrate his life.”
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