Skip to main content
Sunday, November 15, 2026Nov 15

Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg has died after battling cancer

FILE - Former Chicago Cubs player Ryne Sandberg walks to the mound to throw a ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the New York Mets and the Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh,File)
FILE - Former Chicago Cubs player Ryne Sandberg walks to the mound to throw a ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the New York Mets and the Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh,File)

CHICAGO (AP) — Ryne Sandberg, a Hall of Fame second baseman who became one of baseball’s best all-around players while starring for the Chicago Cubs, has died. He was 65.

Sandberg was surrounded by his family when he died at his home on Monday, according to the team.

Sandberg announced in January 2024 that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. He had chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and then said in August 2024 that he was cancer-free.

But he posted on Instagram on Dec. 10 that his cancer had returned and spread to other organs. He announced this month that he was still fighting, while “looking forward to making the most of every day with my loving family and friends.”

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said Sandberg “will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise.”