Sandberg was surrounded by his family when he died at his home on Monday, according to the team.
CHICAGO (WLS) — Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg is being remembered for his greatness on and off the baseball field.
People have been paying their respect to number 23 outside Wrigley Field Tuesday morning.
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Ryno died Monday from prostate cancer at the age of 65.
No one here wants to believe Ryne Sandberg is gone and since hearing the sad news the baseball faithful have come to Wrigley Field for one last moment with Ryno.
“I think I’m being hit by a wave of emotion right now,” Cubs fan Rich Cole said. “Memories and everything.”
RELATED: Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg dies after cancer battle
The 65-year old Cubs legend and Hall of Famer died Monday with prostate cancer. He was first diagnosed in 2024.
In August, he said he was cancer free, but months later announced the cancer had returned and spread throughout his body.
“Do many people said how good of a person he was and everything,” Cubs fan Apryl Orosco said. “And I knew he was battling cancer, but I didn’t realize you know what I mean.”
Ryne Sandberg played second base and spent 15-years with the Chicago Cubs.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 and the team retired his number 23 jersey that same year.
The Chicago Cubs will now honor Sandberg for the rest of the season with a special jersey patch.
In a statement, the Chicago Cubs team chairman Tom Ricketts said, “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.”
Despite retiring, Sandberg remained active in the game he loved.
He was a regular at the Cubs spring training camp in Arizona, offering his support to players.
He was surprised by former teammates during this year’s camp after missing camp last year because of his cancer treatment.
Players say Sandberg was beloved for his work ethic and his quiet leadership and truly embodied what it means to be a Cub.
“There’s nothing he wanted more than to be on the baseball field and to share that time and be present,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “We’re all incredibly lucky that he was a part of our season this year and he means a lot.
And even with all of his athletic accomplishments, Ryne Sandberg is most notably remembered for the Sandberg Game – the regular season game against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 23 back in 1984 when he hit two game-tying home runs. The Cubs eventually won the game.
Cardinals fan Jeremy Cahnmann was there.
“I was there for the first eight innings of that game and we walked in the car as Sandberg just hit the second home run to win the game for the Cubs,” Cahnmann said. “I was very upset. I was very upset that day, but it’s just part of the myth that was Ryne Sandberg.”
The Ryne Sandberg statue was unveiled last year on the 40th anniversary of that game.
Tuesday, the artist responsible for the sculpture placed a single rose for his friend he says will forever be known as the modern-day Mr. Cub.
“They say people don’t meet your heroes,” sculptor Lou Cella said. “They’ll let you down. They’re gonna hear people say and I can back it up. This was a hero you wanted to meet this is the one who isn’t gonna let you down.”
