Walter Payton

In February of 1999, Payton announced that he had a a rare liver disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis, which soon led to the growth of a cancerous tumor on his liver. As a well-loved public figure and celebrity, he had been offered the option of moving up on the waiting list for liver organ donors.[1] He declined this offer (because it meant someone else would die because of him) and accepted a place on the waiting list; according to a surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, he might have survived if he had accepted when his disease was first diagnosed.[25] Payton spent his final months as an advocate for organ transplants, appearing in many commercials to encourage others to donate organs, although by the time his first appeal was recorded, he had been told that his illness was already too far advanced for transplantation to have been a viable option.[7] The following April, Payton made a final public appearance at a Chicago Cubs game with Mike Ditka, where he threw the game's ceremonial first pitch.[26][27] Author Don Yaeger worked with him during the last weeks of his life to create his autobiography, Never Die Easy.[3]

On November 1, 1999, Payton died from the complications that arose from his illness. During the same week, the NFL held special ceremonies in each game to commemorate Payton's memory. In addition, the Chicago Bears wore special #34 patches on their jerseys to honor Payton. [26]

The speakers at Payton's public funeral service, held in Soldier Field, included Jesse Jackson, National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, former teammate Dan Hampton, his widow Connie Payton, and his children, Jarrett and Brittney Payton.[28] Among the 2,000 mourners at the private service were John Madden, Illinois Governor George Ryan, Chicago's mayor Richard M. Daley, former teammates Matt Suhey, Mike Singletary, Roland Harper, and Jim McMahon, as well as the Bears' equipment manager,