Hall of Famer and Chicago Cubs icon Ryne Sandberg died Monday at the age of 65 after enduring a long battle with cancer, Breitbart reported. This comes after Sandberg announced that he had metastatic prostate cancer.
Sandberg, a Washington State native, was named after New York Yankees pitcher Ryne Duren. Although he began his baseball career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1981, he spent the most seasons with the Cubs.
The team's executive chairman, Tom Ricketts, memorialized the late baseball great in a statement. "Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise," Ricketts said.
"His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire, were hallmarks of his career. He was immensely proud of his teammates and his role as a global ambassador of the game of baseball, but most of all, he was proud of Margaret, his children, and his role as husband, father, and grandfather," Ricketts added.
Sandberg collected many accolades over the years, which MLB recounted in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. The beloved Cubs second baseman was a five-tool model of consistency in the 1980s and early ’90s, making 10 consecutive All-Star teams and winning 9 straight Gold Glove awards," MLB wrote.
"On June 23, 1984, a national TV audience watched Sandberg hit a pair of game-tying home runs in the 9th and 10th innings off Cardinals closer and future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter. Part of a magical Cubs Postseason run, the game is forever remembered in Chicago as 'The Sandberg Game,'" the post continued.
This was considered Sandberg's most outstanding achievement. "He went on to win the 1984 NL MVP Award. Over 16 seasons, Sandberg slugged 282 home runs, 277 of which were as a second baseman, then a Major League record. He hit 25+ homers five times and stole 30+ bases five times," the MLB account added.
The account noted that Sandberg got his start with the Phillies and would return to manage them over the course of three seasons. Still, it was the Cubs who memorialized Sandberg's greatness, including his storied postseason performance, in a statue that resides outside of Chicago's Wrigley Field.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.
The beloved Cubs second baseman was a five-tool model of consistency in the 1980s and early ’90s, making 10 consecutive All-Star teams and winning 9 straight Gold Glove awards.
On June 23, 1984, a national TV… pic.twitter.com/KuCazvlnj2
— MLB (@MLB) July 29, 2025
With so many lifetime achievements, it's no surprise that Sandberg was fondly remembered by many in baseball. According to ESPN, his former teammates and opponents alike shared their love and respect for Sandberg, including current Cubs ballplayers like shortstop Dansby Swanson.
"Just such a top-shelf human being. He made such an impact on me, even in my short time of being able to be around him. Just an unbelievable human being and someone that I'm very, very grateful to have met and spent time with, whether it's talking about life or talking about ball," Swanson said. The Cubs' rookie third baseman Matt Shaw also spoke of Sandberg's impact on him.
"We talked about a lot of things, about defense and offense, but we talked about life, too. When he first came up, he struggled a little bit early on and he was like, 'No matter what happens, you just got to keep believing in yourself and keep going,'" Shaw said. "And I definitely take that to heart, and that's something that I definitely think about a lot -- is that belief to just to keep going."
Sandberg's death also caught the attention of former President Barack Obama, who paid tribute in a post to X on Tuesday, according to The Hill. "Hall of Famer and Cubs stalwart Ryne Sandberg wasn’t just a great baseball player — he was a class act who never cheated the game. Everyone in Chicago — including White Sox fans — will miss him deeply," Obama wrote.
Sports legends like Sandberg have so much wisdom to share about life and athletics, and these lessons endure long after they're gone. America lost one of the greats this week, but it appears Sandberg was generous in sharing his knowledge on and off the baseball diamond, and that is the legacy that will remain.
