03-08-2004, 07:10 AM
Quote:BOSTON (Reuters) - The son of baseball great Ted Williams, who had his father's body frozen two years ago, has died of leukemia at a Los Angeles hospital, according to a statement issued on Sunday by the Boston Red Sox, the star's former team.I guess they will plan to freeze his body just like his dad. :biggrin:
John Henry Williams battled the cancer for several months but died at the age of 35 in spite of a bone marrow transplant from his sister last year.
\"It is particularly sad that leukemia claimed his life, for his father was a pioneer in the development of the Jimmy Fund, which has made such remarkable progress in the fight against cancer,\" John Henry, owner of the Red Sox said in a statement. \"On behalf of all of us with the Boston Red Sox, we extend our condolences to the John Henry Williams family.\"
Danny Williams, brother of the baseball star, also died of leukemia in the late 1950s at age 39.
John Henry Williams became the center of a controversy and family feud when he had his father's body placed in cryonic suspension at an Arizona laboratory shortly after his death in July 2002, possibly to preserve his DNA.
Williams maintained he was carrying out the baseball star's final wish. Ted Williams was considered by many to be the best hitter in baseball history and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966.
In early 2002, John Henry Williams decided to follow in his father's footsteps and tried out with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox. He was picked as first baseman.
\"Perhaps no person meant more to the history of the Boston Red Sox than did his father, and it was clear that his father's life and legacy were the focal point of John Henry Williams' life,\" Henry said.