Hey everyone, it’s your boy back again with another deep dive into history! Today, I’m looking into something a bit somber but super interesting – the death of the legendary Babe Ruth. You know, the baseball giant?
So, I started off where anyone would, digging through the internet about how this icon left us. First, I found this Wikipedia page that gives a simple overview. It said that he died on August 16, 1948, from throat cancer. Man, that hit me harder than I expected. I mean, this guy was larger than life, and to think cancer took him down… it’s rough.
Then I went deeper. Wikipedia had a whole section just on his illness and death. Apparently, he started having this really bad pain over his left eye and had trouble swallowing way back in 1946. They found a malignant tumor at the base of his skull. Inoperable. Plus, a lesion in his neck. It sounds absolutely awful, to be honest. They also had information about Babe’s funeral, but I haven’t gotten into that part yet. I’m still digesting what I read.
Next, I stumbled upon some old news reports. One mentioned that Hayes Martin was the one who announced Ruth’s death, confirming it was cancer. It also said that only his family knew about the diagnosis beforehand. Babe Ruth himself didn’t even know he had cancer. Can you imagine? That’s just… wow. They took his body to the Universal Funeral Chapel, and his family let fans come and pay their respects after 3:00 p.m.
I also saw a snippet about his last appearance at Yankee Stadium. It was June 26, 1948, and his old “number 3” uniform was just hanging on him, he was so thin. Just a “skeleton” by then, the article said. That image really stuck with me.
- Babe Ruth died from throat cancer on August 16, 1948.
- He had been sick since 1946 with a tumor and a lesion.
- He didn’t know about his cancer diagnosis. Only his family knew it.
- His last appearance at Yankee Stadium was heartbreaking, he was very sick at that time.
What I learned:
I found out that he underwent hormone therapy and surgery, and he was one of the first cancer patients to get sequential radiation and chemotherapy. None of it worked, unfortunately. It’s wild to think that even with all his fame and resources, cancer was still unbeatable back then. He also developed hoarseness and some serious pain, which was eventually diagnosed as nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
This whole research process was a real eye-opener. It’s one thing to know Babe Ruth as this baseball legend, but to learn about his struggle with cancer, it makes him so much more human, you know? I even found a piece he wrote with some friends before he passed away. It was published in Guideposts magazine. The title was “Bad Boy Ruth.” That got me curious, so I’ll probably check that out next.
Anyway, that’s all for now. This was a heavy one, but I think it’s important to remember these icons as real people with real struggles. It puts things in perspective. I’ll keep digging and share more as I find it. Stay tuned, folks!
