Longtime Tampa Bay Rays Radio Broadcaster Wills Dies In Sleep At 58

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Dave Wills, whose voice became synonymous with many of the great moments in Tampa Bay Rays history —including two World Series appearances — died early Sunday morning in his sleep at his Lutz home, the team announced.

He was 58.

Wills, who was hired by the Rays in 2005 along with radio partner Andy Freed, had just worked Saturday’s game against the New York Yankees. Wills, the suburban Chicago native, who worked his way through the ranks of calling minor league baseball along with college basketball in his home state of Illinois before spending 11 years in the radio booth with the Chicago White Sox, missed two weeks last season with heart issues.

But family members told the Tampa Bay Times that the long-time play-by-play man had not experienced any recent health issues before he died in his sleep Sunday.

“Yesterday was like any other day for the last 18 years,” Freed wrote in a tweet on Sunday. “Sharing. Laughs. Baseball. Fun. No way to know it was the last time. Sadness beyond words today. It always felt like we were actual brothers. Will miss him forever. Love to him and his family.”

Wills missed time in the booth with a heart issue last fall before returning to work to call the Rays’ playoff series against the Cleveland Guardians. Wills said at the time he was diagnosed with an irregular or erratic heartbeat that affects the upper chambers of the heart.

The team had a moment of silence for Wills during the Rays game on Sunday. Manager Kevin Cash visited with Wills’ family on Sunday morning before returning to Tropicana Field for Sunday’s spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles. He called the day, “pretty devastating”, adding “Shocking, sad, heartbreaking, covers it all,” Cash told reporters on Sunday.

“We can choose to think about all of the good times we had with him, all the laughs, and what he meant to this organization top to bottom,” Cash said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

In a statement issued by the team on Sunday, Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg called Wills “an outstanding broadcaster, a great friend and even better person.”

He added: “He had a remarkable talent for bringing the game to life for our fans and was a vital part of the Rays family. We will miss him dearly, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

On Facebook, his daughter, Michelle, wrote, “to know Dave was to love Dave. He had an infectious personality and an uncanny ability to talk to anyone and everyone and make them laugh.”

She said she will remember her father as a loving father and husband who had a passion for life, his family, and Rays baseball.

Wills is survived by his wife, Liz, son Alex and daughter Michelle.