Top 10 Athletes Who Died Before Age 40

1 Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig, nicknamed "the Iron Horse", was an American baseball first baseman who played his entire professional career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, from 1923 until 1939. Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, which earned him his nickname ...read more.

2 Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

3 Malik Sealy

4 Aaron Hernandez Aaron Josef Hernandez was an American football tight end in the National Football League. A productive player during his three seasons with the New England Patriots, his career came to an abrupt end after his arrest and initial conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd. ...read more.

5 Steve McNair

6 Ernie Davis

7 Salvador Sánchez

8 Sean Taylor

9 Steve Prefontaine

10 Florence Griffith Joyner

The Contenders

11 Thurman Munson

12 Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero Llanes, was a Mexican-American professional wrestler and a member of the Guerrero wrestling family.

13 Len Bias Leonard Kevin "Len" Bias was a first-team All-American college basketball forward at the University of Maryland.