Red Sox Pitcher, Wife Die Within Months of Each Other

Stacy Wakefield, the widow of former Boston Red Sox pitcher and two-time World Series champion Tim Wakefield, has died, the AP reports. Her family said in a statement released through the Red Sox that she died Wednesday at her Massachusetts home, less than five months after her husband died at the age of 57. Stacy was 53, according to online records. "She was surrounded by her family and dear friends, as well as her wonderful caretakers and nurses," the statement said. "The loss is unimaginable, especially in the wake of losing Tim just under five months ago. Our hearts are beyond broken."

The family mentioned a diagnosis but did not provide a cause of death. In September, Tim's former Red Sox teammate Curt Schilling said on a podcast both of the Wakefields had been diagnosed with cancer. Schilling said Tim had brain cancer and Stacy had pancreatic cancer. The news came with an outpouring of support for the Wakefields and criticism for Schilling disclosing the matter without their permission. "We will remember Stacy as a strong, loving, thoughtful and kind person, who was as down-to-earth as they come," the family's statement continued. "We feel so lucky to have had her in our lives, and we take comfort in the fact that she will be reunited with Tim, the love of her life." Stacy and Tim are survived by their children, Trevor, 19, and Brianna, 17, People reports.

(More Tim Wakefield stories.)