Walter Payton — Shocking Sports Deaths

On the field, Payton seemed invincible but he endured his fair share of off-the-field pain. It was bile duct cancer discovered while he fought a rare liver disease that ultimately got the best of him. He was 45 at the time of his death in 1999.

Many would argue that Payton was the best running back ever to take the field, Payton hid his illness from the public until less than a year before his passing when the media began to ask him about his weight loss and fatigue at appearances. Upon his announcement, he said, "Am I scared? Hell yeah, I'm scared. Wouldn't you be scared?" he asked. "But it's not in my hands anymore. It's in God's hands."