Fans gather at Ryne Sandberg’s statue to honor Cubs legend: ‘Wrigley Field’s never gonna be the same’

After 21-year-old Harold Stricklin placed a bouquet of roses on Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg’s statue, he stepped back and stood alone for a few minutes as “Go Cubs Go,” the team’s anthem that plays after every home win, blared through his headphones.

“I feel like that was the least I could do to pay tribute to a Cubs legend,” Stricklin said. “Wrigley Field’s never gonna be the same.”

Sandberg announced in January of 2024 that he’d been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.

He announced that he was cancer-free in August, but four months later his cancer had returned, and Sandberg resumed intensive treatment.

He died at his home Monday at age 65, the Cubs said.

Though Stricklin was too young to ever see Sandberg play, he experienced the legendary second baseman’s impact on the fan base firsthand while working at the Cubs convention this year when fans bid more than $10,000 for a signed jersey of his.

“This guy was the epitome of winning baseball,” Stricklin said. “There’s a lot of ways where he gave people hope.”

Sandberg’s yearning to be excellent on and off the field is what made him Ken Schultz’s favorite player for the over four decades he has been a fan.

Schultz, 46, tried preparing for the news over the last couple of weeks but was overwhelmed by grief when word of Sandberg’s death broke Monday night.

He was one of dozens who stopped by Sandberg’s statue at Wrigley Field to pay tribute Tuesday morning.

“It’s part of the grieving process for me,” Schultz — donned in a blue “Ryan Sandberg is still my favorite” shirt — said. “Just to be in my feelings right now.”

Mourners left roses, note-filled baseballs, U.S. flags, caps, helmets and more at Sandberg’s statue, which was cordoned off with blue velvet rope.

Alli Vertucci, 37, left a crystal on the statue as a gesture toward Sandberg’s family.

“It was just something that I thought would be unique on there,” she said. “I think that most Cubs fans can agree that he was beloved by everyone in a time where the Cubs weren’t that great. He was a shining beacon of hope for everyone.”

Schultz emphasized that Sandberg’s presence and support beyond his playing days contributed to his status as a Chicago icon.

“He’s been such a constant, not just in our memories but in our present day Cub fandom,” Schultz said. “He’s not just 1980s era or early 1990s era in Chicago, but he was Chicago in the 2000s, the 2010s; he was certainly Chicago when they were going to the playoffs and when they won the World Series in 2016.”

“Him just always being there and being part of the fabric of the city led us to embrace him more and more as the years went on,” Schultz added. “He’s kind of the rare player who was obviously recognized as great during his time, but his stature just kept growing and growing in the decades after he finished.”