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Yes, he died of cancer at the age of 51. Every summer in Fargo, ND (his hometown) there is a celebrity golf tournament and silent auction held to help benefit the Roger Maris Cancer Center and other charities. I know many sports celebrities come to play every summer as well as Barry Pepper who has come the last few years.
shareIt was so sad
Roger Maris retired from baseball in 1968
He refused to come back to Yankee Stadium for Old Timers Day or have anything to do with the team for about 10 years
George Steinbrenner and Mickey Mantle convinced Roger to come back in the late 1970s or early 1980s
They did retire his number
He smoked way too much and died of lung cancer on frigid cold day in December 1985
The year before the 25th anniversary of the 1961 season
There was going to be a big celebration at Yankee stadium in 1986 on Old Timers Day honoring the 1961 Team
And Roger never lived to see it
It was so sad
Actually, Roger Maris died of lymphoma, a different type of cancer. Like lung cancer, though, some types of lymphoma are more common in smokers than in nonsmokers.
Somewhat ironic, really, because the disease that killed Mickey Mantle's father, uncle, and grandfather so young was Hodgkin's disease, which is one kind of lymphoma (though possibly not the same kind that Roger Maris had). Mantle didn't get the disease he feared so much, although he did eventually get liver disease, including cancer, after his years of heavy drinking.
Subtle messages in the movie about the dangers of excess smoke and drink.
Nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands.
When Bobby Richardson preached at Maris' funeral, Mickey Mantle, who was there, told Richardson after hearing the message, that when he (Mantle) passed away, he wanted Richardson to preach his funeral.
When Mantle passed away, his family respected his wishes, and Richardson did so.
"So what else is on your mind besides 100 proof women, 90 proof whiskey, and 14 karat gold?"