Jerry Remy, Boston Red Sox broadcasting legend, dies after long battle with lung cancer
(CNN) — Jerry Remy, the beloved longtime Boston Red Sox broadcaster and former Major League Baseball infielder, died Saturday night after a lengthy battle with lung cancer, the team announced. He was 68.
“We are saddened by the loss of a beloved player, broadcaster, and 13-year cancer warrior,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in a statement Sunday.
“Jerry’s love and connection to baseball didn’t allow anything to stand between the game and him, including for many years cancer,” Henry said. “He devoted his entire career to baseball and whether from his seat in the clubhouse or his perch above the field in the broadcast booth, he took generations of rising Red Sox stars and a multitude of fans along for the ride with him.
“During his lifetime, he witnessed great triumphs and terrible tragedies handling all of it with grace, dignity, and a huge heart. He left an indelible mark on this club and on an entire nation of Red Sox fans.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora added: “Like everyone else in Red Sox Nation today, I’m absolutely devastated by Jerry’s passing. We connected because of our love for the game of baseball. I will miss all of our conversations about the game and just passing time together throughout the years, whether in the clubhouse or dugout.”
Affectionately known as “Rem Dawg,” Remy spent more than 40 years with the Red Sox organization as a player, coach and broadcaster. He was the team’s color analyst on New England Sports Network (NESN) since 1988.
In August, he announced that he was stepping away from the broadcasting booth to undergo lung cancer treatment.
“As I’ve done before and will continue to do,” Remy wrote in the August Twitter post via NESN, “I will battle this with everything I have. I’m so grateful for the support from NESN, the Red Sox and all of you. I hope that I’ll be rejoining you in your living rooms soon.”
Two months later, the Somerset, Massachusetts, native threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway before the Red Sox eliminated their arch-nemesis New York Yankees 6-2 in the American League Wild Card playoff game.
“Jerry was so passionate about the Red Sox and even though he had to step away for treatment late in the season, he was with us every step of the way — especially in October,” Cora said.
Remy missed parts of the 2008, 2013 and 2017 seasons due to an initial lung cancer diagnosis then a couple of relapses, according to MLB.com. He would announce that he was cancer-free In November 2018.
On the field, Remy played 10 years in the majors for the Angels (1975-77) and Red Sox (1978-84). In 1,154 games, he batted .275 and stole 208 bases. Remy played with seven Baseball Hall of Famers and 12 Red Sox Hall of Famers in his career.
Major League Baseball Players Association sent their condolences in a statement.
“He forged a personal connection with Boston fans and inspired many with his fight against cancer. The Players Association joins Jerry’s family, friends and fans in mourning his loss.”
In 2006, Remy was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame for his broadcasting and playing accomplishments. In 2017, he was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
He was awarded the Judge Emil Fuchs Memorial Award for “long and meritorious service to baseball” by the Boston Baseball Writers Association in January 2020.
Remy is survived by his wife, Phoebe; sons, Jared and Jordan; daughter, Jenna and her husband, Leif von der Heyde; and two grandchildren, Dominik Guyette and Arianna Remy.