Kirby Puckett Dies at 45

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Mar 7, 2006 4:45PM

Hall of Fame baseball player and Chicago native Kirby Puckett died at 45 on Monday, one day after suffering a massive stroke.

His life, like his career, was cut short. He was forced to retire from baseball in 1996 because of glaucoma. In his twelve seasons with the Minnesota Twins, he hit .318 with 207 home runs and 1085 RBIs. He made 10 consecutive All-Star Game appearances and won 6 Gold Glove awards for his fielding. For more than a decade, he was to Minneapolis-St. Paul what MJ was to Chicago. In 2001, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

While the toast of the Twin Cities, Puckett was born and raised here in Chicago. He grew up in the Robert Taylor Homes on the city's south side, graduating from Calumet High School. He played college baseball for downstate Bradley University and Triton College in suburban River Grove before the Twins drafted him in 1982.

While known as a fun-loving guy who loved the game of baseball, his life bacame a bit stormy after his retirement. He went through a messy divorce, an 18-year affair came to light, and he faced allegations of groping a woman in a bar. He also let his health slip, ballooning to nearly 300 pounds. Throughout the stormy years, he remained committed to his family and community. And in recent years, his life had begun to turn around. He fought the harrassment allegations and won. He put the divorce and affair behind him, and was engaged to re-marry this coming June. While on the way to redeeming himself, his second chance was cut short.