It was just last month that 63-year-old Fernando Valenzuela, the popular pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers who sparked Fernandomania, passed away from a mysterious illness.
A newly released copy of his death certificate dispels much of the mystery. According to the document, Valenzuela’s underlying cause of death may be related to liver disease and liver failure.
The certificate, first reported by TMZ, lists septic shock, decompensated alcoholic cirrhosis, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis as underlying causes. The certificate also suggests that Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may have also contributed to his death. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare and fatal brain disease that causes changes in brain tissue that affect muscle coordination and memory, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
The latest details were released three weeks after Valenzuela’s death and days after his public funeral Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.
Since his passing on October 22, Dodgers fans have celebrated the life of a legendary pitcher who meant so much to Angelenos, especially the Latino community.
After his death was announced, an unofficial memorial was created outside Dodger Stadium. Dodgers fans placed blue and white flower arrangements in front of the stadium and held up jerseys with the number 34 on them. The Dodgers, who retired him last year, paid tribute to him before Game 1 of the World Series, three days after his death.
A striking mural in Boyle Heights honoring legendary Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela has been completed. 💙
Artist Robert Vargas completed his tribute to the late Dodgers great over the weekend. He said the mural is both a celebration of a great event and an altar. pic.twitter.com/jR2UvVffRZ
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) November 11, 2024
A mural honoring Valenzuela was recently unveiled in Boyle Heights. A giant mural by Robert Vargas depicts three different perspectives of the pitcher, including his unique high kick and his skyward gaze during windup.