Shocking sports deaths

Cause of death: Hernandez committed suicide in his prison cell by hanging himself with a bed sheet.

Cause of death: Henry died after falling out of the back of a moving pickup truck during a dispute with his fiancee.

Cause of death: McNair was shot in Nashville by a woman with whom he was having an affair. She then turned the gun on herself. Police ruled it a murder-suicide.

Cause of death: Valvano died following a nearly year-long battle with metastatic cancer.

Cause of death: Williams was shot and killed following a confrontation between Broncos players and gang members at a nightclub.

Cause of death: Wheldon was killed in a 15-car pileup during an IndyCar race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Cause of death: FloJo’s life came to a premature end when she died suddenly after suffering a deadly epileptic seizure.

Cause of death: In July of 1993, as the young star was quickly becoming the face of the Celtics franchise, he collapsed and died of heart failure while practicing at Brandeis University.

Cause of death: Duerson died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.

Cause of death: Stewart died in a LearJet plane accident, when the cabin lost pressure and everyone on board died of hypoxia.

Cause of death: Dennehy was murdered by a teammate.

Cause of death: Brown was driving at high speeds when he lost control of his vehicle. Both he and his 12-year-old nephew were killed when Brown crashed into a utility pole.

Cause of death: Phills was killed in a three-car accident after losing control of his vehicle and crashing into oncoming traffic.

Cause of death: The Royals pitcher died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic.

Cause of death: Miami Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez was one of three people who died in a boating accident at Miami Beach.

Cause of death: Foltz was killed in a car crash on his way home from an offseason kicking camp in Wisconsin. Former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler also was killed and LSU kicker Colby Delahoussaye was injured in the accident.

Cause of death: Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tray Walker died after suffering critical injuries following a motorcycle crash.

Cause of death: Former Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tommy Hanson died due to a cocaine overdose.

Cause of death: The St. Louis Cardinals hoped slugger Oscar Taveras would become a star in Major League Baseball. Instead, at age 22, his light went out forever. Taveras died after a car wreck in his native Dominican Republic.

Cause of death: Kile had 90 percent blockage in two coronary arteries near his heart. At age 33, and seemingly in the prime of both his life and his career, he died in his sleep from a heart attack.

Cause of death: Former Tennessee Titans place kicker Rob Bironas’ blood-alcohol level was nearly triple the legal limit on the night he died in a single-car crash near his Nashville home.

Cause of death: Seau was found dead at his Southern California home. The ex-linebacker’s girlfriend found the NFL legend with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.

Cause of death: Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent was convicted of intoxication manslaughter stemming from the Dec. 8, 2012 car accident that killed his teammate and friend Jerry Brown. Brown was a linebacker for the Cowboys. Brent’s blood-alcohol level was found to be twice the legal limit under Texas laws. He was sentenced to six months in jail.

Cause of death: Boogaard died of a drug overdose in May of 2011. In 2013 his family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NHL, saying the league was responsible for head trauma Boogaard sustained during his career, as well as his addiction to prescription painkillers. It was found that Boogaard suffered from the degenerative brain disease CTE at the time of his death at the age of 28.

Cause of death: Lima died from a massive heart attack.

Cause of death: Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams died of cardiac arrest. The autopsy showed that Adams had an enlarged heart, a condition that often causes heart attacks.

Cause of death: Cooper and Smith were among four men reported missing after they embarked on a fishing trip off Florida’s Gulf Coast in early March. On March 2, Nick Schuyler was rescued after being found clinging to an overturned boat. The Coast Guard suspended its search the following day. The bodies of Cooper, Smith and William Bleakley were never discovered and they are presumed dead.

Cause of death: Adenhart was 22 years old when he died seven years ago. He, along with two friends, was killed by a drunk driver hours after throwing six shutout innings against the Oakland A’s.

Cause of death: Williams was killed while with fellow Broncos when his limo was sprayed by bullets after a nightclub dispute following a New Year’s Eve party.

Cause of death: Taylor died after being shot in the leg by an intruder in his home in South Florida the day before. On Nov. 30, 2007, four people were detained in connection with Taylor’s death and eventually arrested.

Cause of death: Hill (91) died while jet-skiing with a friend on Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain. Rough waters knocked the pair off their jet ski. Hill helped his friend, Ashley Blazio, stay afloat – and alive – by giving her survival instructions until he was pulled under by the currents.

Cause of death: Griffin was killed in a car accident a few months after he was dropped by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Cause of death: Lidle died in an airplane accident in New York City on Wednesday afternoon when a plane he was piloting crashed into a 50-story building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Cause of death: Pata was shot and killed outside of his apartment. It was ruled a homicide but the case remains unsolved.

Cause of death: Tillman was a safety for the Arizona Cardinals when he quit playing football to enlist in the military. He was killed in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in 2004.

Cause of death: On March 4, 1990, Hank Gathers slammed home a long lob pass during a game against Portland, then stumbled, collapsed and tragically never got up.

Cause of death: Snyder was critically injured when a car driven by then-teammate Dany Heatley went out of control and crashed. Snyder died six days later due to septic shock. Heatley eventually pled guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide and other speeding-related chargers, getting three months probation and fines after Snyder’s family asked that he not go to prison.

Cause of death: Earnhardt (L) was killed instantly in a crash during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Cause of death: The Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle and his 12-year-old nephew were killed when Brown lost control of his car on wet pavement and overturned.

Cause of death: He suffered from heat stroke during the Vikings 2001 preseason training camp, and died as a result of complications.

Cause of death: Derrick Thomas died in February of 2000 after being paralyzed in a car accident a few weeks earlier.

Cause of death: Marlin Barnes and his friend Timwanika Lumpkins were beaten to death with a shotgun by Labrant Dennis. Dennis was the ex-boyfriend of Lumpkins.

Cause of death: Senna was killed in an accident during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

Cause of death: Cleveland Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews died in a boating accident that also injured teammate Bob Ojeda. It happened on Little Lake Nellie in Florida, within sight of Crews’ home and about 40 miles from Indians camp, in 1993, at Winter Haven.

Cause of death: Cleveland Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews died in a boating accident that also injured teammate Bob Ojeda. It happened on Little Lake Nellie in Florida, within sight of Crews’ home and about 40 miles from Indians camp, in 1993, at Winter Haven.

Cause of death: Lewis had an abnormal heart rhythm caused by a viral infection of the heart that ultimately led to his sudden death.

Cause of death: The 1992 Dayton 500 winner died of head injuries suffered in a helicopter crash.

Cause of death: The 1992 Cup winner died in a plane crash only a few months after winning the title.

Cause of death: Petrovic was killed on a rain-drenched highway near Munich, Germany, when a car driven by his girlfriend spun out of control and slammed into a truck.

Cause of death: Bias died two nights after the NBA Draft following a cocaine overdose.

Cause of death: Munson had been flying planes for a year. He was practicing takeoffs and landings when he crashed his plane and died due to the inhalation of superheated air and toxic substances.

Cause of death: Clemente was tragically killed in a plane crash on On Dec. 31, 1972. Clemente was helping deliver food and other relief items to Managua, Nicaragua one week after it was impacted by a massive earthquake.

Cause of death: The Bears’ running back died from embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of germ cell testicular cancer.

Cause of death: 1961 Heisman Trophy winner, Ernie Davis led Syracuse University to the national championship as a sophomore and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979. He was the first African-American man to win the Heisman Trophy and to be picked first overall in the NFL draft, but he never played a pro game and died at 23 after contracting leukemia.

Cause of death: Gibson fell into a coma in 1943 and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He refused surgery to remove it and lived until 1947 when he died of a stroke.

Cause of death: In 1938, Gehrig began having difficulty with tying his shoelaces and maintaining his winning streak on the ball field. The following year, he visited the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where doctors diagnosed him with ALS. Gehrig decided to retire from the Yankees that year. Gehrig died in his sleep in his New York home on June 2, 1941.