Darren Daulton Passes Away At Age 55

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Long-time Philadelphia Phillies catcher Darren Daulton passed away on Sunday at the age of 55 following a four-year battle with brain cancer.

Daulton was diagnosed with glioblastoma in the summer of 2013.

Daulton made his MLB debut with the Phillies on Sept. 25, 1983. Daulton, who played for the Phils from 1983 to 1997, became the team's full-time catcher in 1989.

Photos: Darren Daulton Through The Years

"Dutch" was named to the National League All-Star team in 1992, 1993, and 1995, and was one of the key pieces of the Phillies' 1993 National League championship team.

"Darren was a true leader of men.  The Phillies would not have gone to the 1993 World Series without his leadership," said Phillies Chairman Emeritus Bill Giles.  "In addition to being an outstanding clubhouse leader, he was also a fighter.  He battled through five knee operations to become an All-Star.  I really enjoyed watching him for 14 years in uniform.  Darren was a super human being.  His teammates loved him, I loved him like he was one of my own.  In fact, he called me 'Uncle Bill.'"

"All of us at the Phillies are saddened to hear of Darren's passing.  From the day that we drafted him until today, he constantly earned our respect and admiration as both a player and person," said Phillies Chairman David Montgomery. "Darren was the face of our franchise in the early 1990's.  Jim Fregosi asked so much of him as catcher, clean-up hitter and team leader.  He responded to all three challenges. One of my toughest decisions as team president was to approve his trade to the Marlins in July of 1997.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Amanda, his parents, his brother and his four children. Dutch was truly 'one of a kind' and we will dearly miss him."

Related: Darren Daulton Says He Would 'Not Allow' Lazy Play

Eventually, knee injuries derailed Daulton's career. He spent the final season of his career with the Florida Marlins in 1997 which resulted in a World Series championship. Daulton put up respectable numbers (.263, 14 home runs, 63 RBI in just 395 at bats) and announced his retirement after the season.

Daulton was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2010.

Daulton is survived by his wife Amanda and his four children -- 27-year-old Zachary, 17-year-old Summer, 16-year-old Savannah, and 15-year-old Darren Jr.

Funeral services for Daulton will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Darren Daulton Foundation, 1339 Chestnut Street, Suite 500, Philadelphia, PA 19107.