MLB Hall of Famer and Former Chicago Cubs Second Baseman Ryne Sandberg Has Died at 65
Ryne Sandberg's professional baseball career began in 1978.
Published July 29 2025, 10:32 a.m. ET
Former MLB star Ryne Sandberg has died. According to a post that his loved ones shared on his official Instagram profile, he died on July 28, 2025. He was 65 years old. Following the news of his death, baseball fans wanted to know Ryne Sandberg's cause of death and the details surrounding what happened. Ryne had a long career as a second baseman for the Chicago Cubs, and he was known as a legendary player.
Per 6abc Action News in Philadelphia, Ryne's career in baseball started when he was picked by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1978 baseball amateur draft. He would go on to play for multiple MLB teams, and after his career as a player ended, Ryne coached minor league baseball. His death touched both fans and players alike on different levels of the sport.
What was Ryne Sandberg's cause of death?
On July 28, 2025, after Ryne's family shared the news, the Chicago Cubs announced Ryne's death on X (formerly Twitter). In the post, the team wrote, "With great sadness, we share that Ryne Sandberg has passed away today." The Red Sox responded to the post with, "Keeping the Sandberg family in our thoughts and sending love to the Cubs community. His legacy means so much to baseball."
Other teams, including the Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, and Milwaukee Brewers, shared condolences in the comments as well. Fans also responded to the post, some with sadness, and others with disbelief because they didn't know Ryne had been sick, much less so ill that he died somewhat unexpectedly.
While the Cubs did not share Ryne's cause of death in the X post, according to AP, Ryne died from complications related to a battle with cancer. Per the outlet, Ryne announced his metastatic prostate cancer diagnosis in January 2024. He underwent treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation.
Later that year, in December 2024, Ryne shared on Instagram that his cancer had returned.
"Unfortunately, we recently learned the cancer has relapsed and it has spread to other organs," he wrote. "This means that I'm back to more intensive treatment. We will continue to be positive, strong, and fight to beat this. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for me and my family."
On July 16, 2025, Ryne shared another Instagram post about his health. In it, he wrote that he intended to continue to fight the cancer that had spread throughout his body. But, he added, he was also "looking forward to making the most of every day" with his loved ones.
Ryne Sandberg was married with two kids.
Ryne married his wife, Margaret Koehnemann, in 1995. It was the same year he legally split from his first wife, Cindy White, according to Men's Journal. Ryne had two kids with Cindy, Lindsey and Justin Sandberg. He didn't have any children with Margaret, but she had three kids from a previous marriage. And, although Ryne's kids did not go on to play professional sports, his nephew, Jared Sandberg, followed in his footsteps.
According to Baseball Reference, Jared played in the major leagues for three years and spent more than 10 years as a minor league player. Although he did not enter the MLB Hall of Fame like Ryne, much like Ryne, Jared did make a name for himself as a solid player.
Ryne is survived by his wife, two kids, three stepchildren, and eight grandkids.