Jerry Remy, popular Boston Red Sox announcer for NESN, has died following a long battle with cancer, CBS Boston confirms. He was 68-years-old.
Remy first fought lung cancer in November 2008. Since then, he has periodically missed broadcasts for health concerns. In 2013, Remy suffered a relapse. He missed most of the 2017 Spring Training after suffering another relapse, according to ESPN. According to CBS Boston, Remy had beat cancer four times. His cancer returned in 2021, and he announced that he’d be taking a leave of absence in August to undergo treatment.
Remy made a surprise appearance at Fenway Park where he threw out the first pitch on October 5, 2021, for the Wild Card game that saw the Red Sox advance in the playoffs after beating the New York Yankees.
The former second baseman and Red Sox hall-of-famer is survived by his wife Phoebe Remy and their three children, Jared, Jordan and Jenna.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Phoebe Met Her Husband in 1972 & Married Him in 1974
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According to a 2009 profile in the Boston Globe, Phoebe met her husband in 1972, when he was working at a Fall River, Massachusetts, clothing store during the off-season. Phoebe worked there as well, and the two went Christmas shopping for their first date. They married in 1974, when he was 22 and she was 20. She is full-blooded Portuguese.
Phoebe told the Globe that she has gotten used to Remy’s mood swings, but he was never abusive. However, life was difficult at home when he was in a slump. To this day, people tell her that life at home must be full of laughter.
“They really think that silliness on the air translates to home,” Phoebe told the Globe in 2009. “Not that he’s miserable, but it’s not that.”
2. She Helped Remy Quit Smoking
The 2009 Globe profile notes that Phoebe started trying to get Remy to quit smoking when he was 40 years old. Sixteen years later, he finally agreed to quit.
In May 2009, Remy announced that he was diagnosed with lung cancer, Boston.com reported at the time. In November 2008, he had “a very small, low-grade cancerous area removed from my lung” that was discovered at a very early stage. After the surgery, he developed pneumonia and got a bad infection. He was forced to take an indefinite leave of absence during the 2009 season.
Remy returned in August 2009, but missed a few weeks early in the 2013 season because of another bout of pneumonia. From August 2013 until the beginning of the 2014 season, he was out of the booth because of his son Jared’s murder trial. Remy has also been open about his battle with depression.
In 2013 and earlier this year, Remy also suffered cancer relapses.
“I could have kept this under wraps, but I just felt this message would hopefully get people’s attention, and they’ll get to their doctor,” Remy said during 2017 Spring Training, notes ESPN. “I can tell you, it saves lives. There’s no point in waiting.”
3. Remy Defended His Wife as a ‘Good Parent’ After Jared’s Arrest
In 2013, Jerry Remy’s son, Jared Remy, was arrested for the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend, 27-year-old Jennifer Martel. The couple shared a daughter, Arianna, who is now nine years old.
Remy’s future as a Red Sox broadcaster was hotly debated in the Boston area for months. In January 2014, Remy held a press conference at NESN headquarters, explaining his decision to come back.
“People told me that in time things would get better… Things have not gotten better… It became worse and worse,” Remy said at the time. “But I’ve never been a quitter and I don’t intend to be one now.”
Also during that press conference, Remy said Phoebe is still a “good parent.”
“Call me a bad father if you want. But I’ll be damned if my wife is not a good parent,” Remy said.
Jared Remy worked for the Red Sox’s security staff, but was fired in 2008 when he was investigated for steroid use. Before that, he also had several other run-ins with the law. In May 2014, Jared agreed to plead guilty to Martel’s murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
4. Remy & Phoebe Reached a Settlement With the Martels to Have Visitation Rights for Their Granddaughter
After Jared Remy pleaded guilty, Remy and Phoebe tried to get custody of his young daughter with Jennifer Martel, Arianna. Just before the custody trial was set to start, the two sides reached a settlement, according to the Boston Globe.
Arianna lives with the Martel family in Virginia. Phoebe and Remy have visitation rights.
“Everyone’s happy,” Susan M. Finegan, who represented Martel’s parents, told the Globe in 2014. “Arianna will be in the guardianship of the Martel family members, and she will also spend time with the Remys.”
The Remys didn’t comment, but their lawyer said the settlement was “mutually satisfying.”
5. Son Jordan & Daughter Jenna Have Also Been Arrested for Battery
Phoebe’s two other children with Remy, Jordan and Jenna, have also had their share of legal problems.
Jordan once had a shot at a baseball career like his father, even being drafted by the Red Sox in the 1999 draft. However, he never played a game. In 2010, the Boston Herald reported that he was arrested and charged with indecent assault and battery for an alleged incident with a woman at a bar. The year he was drafted, Jordan Remy was arrested for underage possession of alcohol, but the charges were dismissed, according to Sports Grind.
In 2013, the Somerville Times reported that Jenna Remy was arrested for resisting arrest, wanton malicious defacement, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct and misdemeanor breaking and entering for breaking into her ex-boyfriend’s house.
In 2014, The Globe reported that Jenna and Jordan both got probation in their cases and avoided jail time.
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Phoebe Remy, Jerry’s Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know