Tim Wakefield was a professional baseball knuckleball pitcher who played in the MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1992-1993) and the Boston Red Sox (1995-2011). He won two World Series with the Red Sox, in 2004 when they beat the St. Louis Cardinals and in 2007 when they defeated the Colorado Rockies.

Wakefield is a bona fide Red Sox legend, ranking third in career wins for the Massachusetts franchise. He’s the team’s all-time leader in innings pitched by a pitcher, was an All-Star in 2009, and won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2010.

Born in Melbourne, Florida, on Aug. 2, 1966, Wakefield tragically passed away on Oct. 1, 2023, in Hingham, Massachusetts. He was just 57 years old. But how did he die?

How did Tim Wakefield die?

On an episode of The Curt Schilling Baseball Show podcast in 2023, host Schilling — a former Red Sox teammate of Tim Wakefield’s between 2004 and 2007 — revealed both Wakefield and his wife, Stacy, had been diagnosed with cancer without their permission. Schilling said Tim had an aggressive form of brain cancer, and Stacy had cancer of the pancreas.

In a statement shared with People, the Boston Red Sox said, “We are aware of the statements and inquiries about the health of Tim and Stacy Wakefield. Unfortunately, this information has been shared publicly without their permission. Their health is a deeply personal matter they intended to keep private as they navigate treatment and work to tackle this disease. Tim and Stacy are appreciative of the support and love that has always been extended to them and respectfully ask for privacy at this time.”

Sadly, on that fateful October Sunday in 2023, Wakefield died as a result of a seizure following surgery to treat his brain cancer (as per the Boston Globe).

Horrendously, Stacy’s death followed less than five months later, on Feb. 28, 2024. She was just 53.

May they both rest in eternal peace.