Stroke Kills Kirby Puckett At Age 45

Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett died Monday, a day after suffering a stroke at his home in Arizona.

The 45-year-old Puckett, who led the Twins to two World Series titles before his career was cut short by glaucoma, had been in intensive care at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Scottsdale, where family, friends and former teammates had gathered throughout the day Monday.

The hospital says Puckett was given last rites and died Monday afternoon.

"He was a Hall of Famer in every sense of the term," said commissioner Bud Selig. "He played his entire career with the Twins and was an icon in Minnesota. But he was revered throughout the country and will be remembered wherever the game is played. Kirby was taken from us much too soon - and too quickly."

Puckett is the second ballplayer to die who was already a member of the Hall of Fame. Only Lou Gehrig, at 37, was younger.

"The entire Minnesota Twins organization is saddened by the loss of Twins great Kirby Puckett," the team said in a statement.

"This is a sad day for the Minnesota Twins, Major League Baseball and baseball fans everywhere," said Twins owner Carl Pohlad. "Eloise and I loved Kirby deeply. Kirby's impact on the Twins organization, State of Minnesota and Upper Midwest is significant and goes well beyond his role in helping the Twins win two World Championships. A tremendous teammate, Kirby will always be remembered for his never-ending hustle, infectious personality, trademark smile and commitment to the community. There will never be another 'Puck'."

Puckett, the youngest of nine children born into poverty in a Chicago housing project, was drafted by the Twins in 1982, became a regular within two years and was immensely popular. Fans loved his style, especially the high leg kick he used as he prepared to swing. Public address announcer Bob Casey, who became a close friend, introduced him with vigor before every at-bat, "KIR-beeeeeeeeee PUCK-it."

Fans late Monday began leaving flowers and other memorials on the sidewalk outside the Metrodome.

"It's tough to take," said Twins general manager Terry Ryan. "When you're around him, he makes you feel pretty good about yourself. He can make you laugh. He can do a lot of things that can light up a room. He's a beauty."

"It's a tough thing to see a guy go through something like that," said former teammate Kent Hrbek of Puckett having to retire at such a young age because of glaucoma. "That's what really hurt him bad, when he was forced out of the game.. I don't know if he ever recovered from it."

Asked what he would remember the most from their playing days, Hrbek quickly answered, "Just his smile, his laughter and his love for the game."

After the end of his playing career in 1996, Puckett did a stint as a guest coach, but his relationship with the team ended in 2002. He had kept a low profile since being cleared in 2003 of assault charges stemming from an accusation that he groped a woman at a Twin Cities restaurant.

CBS News correspondent Peter King reports the Minnesota Twins invited Puckett back to spring training this year as an instructor, but he declined.

He remained close, though, with numerous people in the organization and he was one of baseball's most popular players throughout his 12-year career.

"I don't know where I would have ended up if it weren't for Kirby Puckett," said former Twins manager Tom Kelly said. "He was not just a great ballplayer. He was a great friend. Everybody is taking it hard."

After his career ended, Puckett put on considerable weight — which concerned those close to him.

"We would tell him. But he enjoyed life. He enjoyed the size he was. That's who he was," said former Twins and current Cubs outfielder Jacque Jones.

Puckett had a career average of .318 and carried the Twins to championships in 1987 and 1991. Glaucoma forced the six-time Gold Glove center fielder and 10-time All-Star to retire when he went blind in his right eye.

Former teammate Frank Viola told King that thanks to his boundless enthusiasm and incredible ability, there are few baseball fans that haven't heard of Kirby Puckett.

"I wore one uniform in my career and I'm proud to say that," Puckett once said. "As a kid growing up in Chicago, people thought I'd never do anything. I've always tried to play the game the right way. I thought I did pretty good with the talent that I have."

Perhaps the most popular athlete to ever play in Minnesota, Puckett's situation was the talk of the town around the Twin Cities area.

"The whole thing has taken me by shock," said Joel Davis, the manager of a Twins memorabilia shop in Roseville. "It's hard to get a grip on it."

Sue Chad, a customer at the store, said she and her husband named their dog Kirby.

"We saw him as someone the other players could get behind — just holding up the energy of the team," said Chad, who fondly recalled Puckett's 11th-inning homer to win Game 6 of the 1991 World Series in a frenzied Metrodome.

Puckett's signature performance came in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series against Atlanta. After telling anyone who would listen before the game that he would lead the Twins to victory that night at the Metrodome, he made a leaping catch against the fence and then hit a game-ending homer in the 11th inning to force a seventh game.

The next night, Minnesota's Jack Morris went all 10 innings to outlast John Smoltz and pitch the Twins to a 1-0 win for their second championship in five years.

"If we had to lose and if one person basically was the reason — you never want to lose — but you didn't mind it being Kirby Puckett. When he made the catch and when he hit the home run you could tell the whole thing had turned," Smoltz said Monday night.

"His name just seemed to be synonymous with being a superstar," the Braves' pitcher said. "It's not supposed to happen like this."

Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk echoed Smoltz's sentiment.

"There was no player I enjoyed playing against more than Kirby. He brought such joy to the game. He elevated the play of everyone around him," Fisk said in a statement to the Hall.

Puckett's birthdate was frequently listed as March 14, 1961, but recent research by the Hall of Fame indicated he was born a year earlier.