Harry Caray Dies

Caray maintained a winter home in Palm Springs, California, along with his primary residence in Chicago.

As discussed in Steve Stone's 1999 book, Where's Harry?, Caray was at a Rancho Mirage restaurant on February 14, 1998, celebrating Valentine's Day with his wife Dutchie, when he collapsed, and in the process allegedly hitting his head on the side of a restaurant table, and was rushed to nearby Eisenhower Medical Center. He never regained consciousness, dying of cardiac arrest with resulting brain damage four days later. Caray's funeral took place in downtown Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral on February 27, two days before he would have turned 84. Many celebrities and athletes were in attendance, including Sammy Sosa and former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka.

Following his death, during the entire 1998 season the Cubs wore a patch on the sleeves of their uniforms depicting a caricature of Caray. Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa dedicated each of his 66 home runs that season to Caray.