MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Harmon Killebrew announced Friday that he no longer plans to fight his esophageal cancer and has settled in for the final days of his life, saddening friends and fans of the 74-year-old Hall of Fame slugger.

In a statement released jointly by the Minnesota Twins and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Killebrew said “it is with profound sadness” that he will no longer receive treatment for the “awful disease.”

He said the cancer has been deemed incurable by his doctors and he will enter hospice care.

“With the continued love and support of my wife, Nita, I have exhausted all options,” Killebrew said. He added: “I have spent the past decade of my life promoting hospice care and educating people on its benefits. I am very comfortable taking this next step and experiencing the compassionate care that hospice provides.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ah39.vrezAm1X4Z5bLfToXkRvLYF?slug=ap-twins-killebrew

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I am very impressed with Harmon Killebrew's positive attitude in the face of terminal cancer. I pray that his last days will be comfortable and pain free and that he can go peacefully. Godspeed Mr. Killebrew and God be with your family.

God bless him. For his sake, I hope his suffering will be short-lived.

God bless him. For his sake, I hope his suffering will be short-lived.me too from everything ive heard he is a great and positave person

Yeah, what a class act. A great baseball player, too.

Peace and strength to him and his family.

I am very saddened by this. When I collected baseball cards he was one of my most sought-after players!

:(

Link (http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2011/05/17/twins-star-killebrew-has-died.html)

Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew died at his Scottsdale, Ariz., home on Tuesday, the Twins said.

Killebrew, 74, had been battling esophageal cancer and announced last week that his battle was nearing an end.

“Killebrew died peacefully, with his wife, Nita, and their family at his side,” the Twins said in a news release.

Killebrew, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984, was diagnosed with cancer early this year and was treated at the Mayo Clinic near his Arizona home.

“No individual has ever meant more to the Minnesota Twins organization and millions of fans across Twins Territory than Harmon Killebrew," Twins President Dave St. Peter said in a statement.

St. Peter said that Killebrew will be remembered as one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history.

"However, more importantly Harmon’s legacy will be the class, dignity and humility he demonstrated each and every day as a Hall of Fame-quality husband, father, friend, teammate and man," St. Peter said.

Killebrew hit 573 career home runs and was the 1969 American League Most Valuable Player.

“Harmon was a Hall of Famer on and off the field," Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson said in the statement. "He was baseball's version of Paul Bunyan, with his prodigious home run power, leading by example in the clubhouse and on the field.

"Off the field, he emanated class, dignity, and warmth, and he was a great humanitarian. He was so down-to-earth, you would never realize he was a baseball legend," Idelson said. "It’s ironic that his nickname was ‘Killer,’ as he was one of the nicest, most generous individuals to ever walk the earth.”

:rip: Harmon Killebrew

:rip: I am glad he is out of pain now. God rest him and bless his family. In a lot of ways, I think he was to the Twins what Bob Feller was to the Indians - a phenomenal player who kept roots to the team and the city long after retiring from the game. Too bad players like that are becoming a rarer breed.