Lou Gehrig

AKA:
The Iron Horse
Birth Name:
Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig
Birth Date:
June 19, 1903
Birth Place:
New York, New York
Death Date:
June 2, 1941
Place of Death:
5204 Delafield Avenue, New York, New York
Age:
37
Cause of Death:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease)
Cemetery Name:
Kensico Cemetery
Claim to Fame:
Sports
Associates:
Voted the greatest first baseman of all time, Lou Gehrig was a member of the NY Yankees baseball team and nicked named the Iron Horse for 2,170 consecutive games played over a 17 year career. Fans and teammates were stunned when when he voluntarily took himself out of the lineup after his performance on the field became hampered by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an incurable neuromuscular illness. He died less than 2 years later at the young age of 37.

Lou Gehrig by the numbers:

  • 2,170 consecutive games played
  • 17 seasons with the NY Yankees
  • 23 career grand slams
  • .340 batting average
  • .632 slugging average
  • .447 on base average
  • 493 home runs
  • 1,995 runs batted in (RBI)
  • 35.08 ratio of runs scored plus runs batted in per 100 plate appearances

A member of six World Series champion teams, Gehrig was also an All-Star seven consecutive times, a Triple Crown winner once and an American League Most Valuable Player twice.

When Eleanor, Lou’s wife, made a catty remark regarding Claire Ruth’s choice of clothing for her daughter, Babe Ruth refused to speak to Lou Gehrig for six years. It was on July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day, when the longtime Yankee first baseman uttered the famous words at a home plate ceremony at Yankee Stadium: “For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” After Gehrig gave his “luckiest man” speech at Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth threw his arms around the Gehrig and they spoke for the first time in six years.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Kensico Cemetery

273 Lakeview Avenue

Valhalla, New York, 10595

USA

North America

Map:

Grave Location:

Section 93, Lot 12686

Grave Location Description

From the main entrance go straight on Tecumsah Avenue, take a left onto Cherokee Avenue and then a quick right onto Ossipee Avenue. Go straight and stay to the right when the road splits. When Ossippe Avenue merges into a single road park to the side. Walk to the left and Lou Gehrig’s monument and bench are about 150 feet into Section 93.

Interestingly enough Lou Gehrig was cremated and his ashes were placed into the center of the monument.

Grave Location GPS

41.07384, -73.78360

Visiting The Grave:

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FAQ's

Lou Gehrig was born on June 19, 1903.

Lou Gehrig was born in New York, New York.

Lou Gehrig died on June 2, 1941.

Lou Gehrig died in 5204 Delafield Avenue, New York, New York.

Lou Gehrig was 37.

The cause of death was Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).

Lou Gehrig's grave is in Kensico Cemetery

Read More About Lou Gehrig:

Videos Featuring Lou Gehrig:
I'm the Luckiest Man in the World Speech
When Lou Gehrig Knew Something Was Wrong
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in Full Color
Lou Gehrig mini-biography
The Woman Behind Lou Gehrig
Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig at Bat April 14, 1931 Yankees vs Red Sox
Babe Dahlgren talks about the day he replaced Lou Gehrig

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popular name: Babe Ruth

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age: 53

cause_of_death: Cancer - an inoperable malignant tumor at the base of his skull and in his neck

claim_to_fame: Sports

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date_of_death: December 25, 1989

age: 61

cause_of_death: Alcohol related single car auto accident

claim_to_fame: Sports

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Bump Hadley

popular name: Bump Hadley

date_of_death: February 15, 1963

age: 58

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Sports

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