Ted Williams

popular name: Andy Leonard

date_of_death: August 21, 1903

age: 57

cause_of_death: Hematemesis caused by stomach ulcers

claim_to_fame: Sports

best_know_for: Andy Leonard was one of the first professional baseball players of the 19th century (and firs of Irish descent), who played primarily left field. He played for a number of teams but was best known for his time with the Cincinnati Red Stockings (the first fully professional baseball team) and the Boston Red Stockings. His greatest success was with Boston where he won six championships during his seven seasons. He later worked for former teammate George Wright's sporting goods firm, Wright & Ditson, for several years before his 1903 death in Boston at age 57 of a stomach ulcer. On Saturday September 9, 2017 The Leonard Family, Major League Baseball and The Society for American Baseball Research dedicated a monument for Andrew Leonard, one of the original ten professional baseball players at New Calvary Cemetery, 800 Harvard Street in Mattapan, Massachusetts. This is the second monument that MLB and SABR have erected in the United States.

popular name: Vitas Gerulaitis

date_of_death: September 17, 1994

age: 40

cause_of_death: Carbon monoxide poisoning

claim_to_fame: Sports

best_know_for: Dashing and daring, Vitas Gerulaitis was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lithuanian immigrants. He was the sport’s ultimate jetsetter in the late 1970s, adored by a legion of female fans, who screamed, “Take me home!” after his matches. He was also an intense competitor to his closest rivals, Connors, Guillermo Vilas, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, who became good friends. During a golden era for men’s tennis, he rose to a career-high No. 3 and was ranked inside the Top 10 for seven straight years until 1983. On his last day, staying in the pool house of a friend in Southampton, NY, Gerulaitis ordered a sandwich and watched golf on television. At 3 p.m. the next day, 17 September, a housekeeper found his body. An inquest found that he had died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty propane heater, which had seeped into the heating and air conditioning system. He was 40 years old. He was laid to rest at St. Charles Resurrection Cemeteries in East Farmingdale, NY.

popular name: Willie Stargell

date_of_death: April 9, 2001

age: 61

cause_of_death: Stroke

claim_to_fame: Sports

best_know_for: Willie Stargell was a legendary Major League Baseball player who spent his entire 21-season career (1962–1982) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Known for his powerful left-handed swing, Stargell hit 475 home runs and drove in 1,540 RBIs, earning a reputation as one of the most feared sluggers of his era. He was a seven-time All-Star and played a key role in leading the Pirates to two World Series championships, in 1971 and 1979. In the latter, he was both the National League MVP and the World Series MVP, serving as the emotional leader of the “We Are Family” team. Nicknamed "Pops" for his leadership and mentorship, Stargell was beloved by teammates and fans alike. In 1979, at the age of 39, he became the first and currently only player to win the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, the NL Championship Series MVP Award and the World Series MVP Award in one season. In 1982, the Pirates retired his uniform number 8. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988 in his first year of eligibility. Upon his death in 2001, he was laid to rest at Oleander Memorial Park in Wilmington, North Carolina.