Former Chicago Cubs hall of famer Ryne Sandberg dies at the age of 65

Former Chicago Cubs icon and Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg died on Monday at the age of 65-years-old, after a long battle with cancer, the team announced.

Sandberg spent 16 years in the sport, the majority of which was spent with the Cubs, and was known for helping redefine the second base position. He held the record for home runs as a second baseman (277 of his 282 shots) when he retired in 1997, according to ESPN. 

The athlete was later inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2005.

"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,” Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement. “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," he added.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.