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Gary Player's wife, Vivienne, dies after cancer battle

Hall of Fame golfer Gary Player’s wife, Vivienne, died on Wednesday of pancreatic cancer, he announced on Twitter.

The two were married for 64 years.

“My wife of 64 years, my childhood sweetheart, my rock, and my soulmate Vivienne has lost her battle with pancreatic cancer,” he said in a statement, in part. “I cannot describe the deep sense of sadness I feel at having lost the one person who has always meant the world to me.

“Vivienne has been a constant in my life from the moment I first set eyes on her when I was 14.”

Player, 85, and Vivienne married in 1957. The couple had six children, 22 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Vivienne was diagnosed with cancer in June 2020.

Player, a South African native, won 24 times on the PGA Tour. He won nine major championships, including three Masters and two British Opens. Player won 118 times internationally, too, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

Player also won 22 times on the PGA Tour Champions, and won nine senior major championships.

“She fully supported my career and raised our six children almost single-handedly while I was touring the world playing golf,” he said. “She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother and a wonderful human being who cared so deeply for others and lived her life in service to others.

“Viviene taught me the value of love, faith and trust. She taught our children those same values, and they were blessed to have a mother who lived those values every single day.”

Gary Player and Vivienne Player
Gary Player's wife, Vivienne, died Wednesday of pancreatic cancer. (PGA of America archive/Getty Images) (PGA of America via Getty Images)

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