Editing Ted Williams (section)

==Death==
[[File:Lipofsky Ted Williams Tribute Fenway park.jpg|thumb|upright=1.13|Ted Williams tribute by the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 22, 2002]]
In his last years, Williams suffered from [[cardiomyopathy]]. He had a pacemaker implanted in November 2000 and he underwent open-heart surgery in January 2001. After suffering a series of strokes and [[congestive heart failure]], he died of cardiac arrest at the age of 83 on July 5, 2002, at Citrus Memorial Hospital, Inverness, Florida, near his home in [[Citrus Hills, Florida]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Ted Williams, Baseball's Last .400 Hitter, Is Dead at 83 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/05/obituaries/ted-williams-baseballs-last-400-hitter-is-dead-at-83.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 5, 2002}}</ref>

Though his will stated his desire to be cremated and his ashes scattered in the [[Florida Keys]], Williams' son John-Henry and younger daughter Claudia chose to have his remains [[cryonics|frozen cryonically]].<ref name="cbs"/>

Ted's elder daughter, Bobby-Jo Ferrell, brought a suit to have her father's wishes recognized. John-Henry's lawyer then produced an informal "family pact" signed by Ted, Claudia, and John-Henry, in which they agreed "to be put into biostasis after we die" to "be able to be together in the future, even if it is only a chance."<ref name="cbs">{{cite news |date=August 12, 2003 |title=Ted Williams Frozen in Two Pieces |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ted-williams-frozen-in-two-pieces/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824115521/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/20/national/main533849.shtml |archive-date=August 24, 2007 |work=[[CBS News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> Bobby-Jo and her attorney, [[Spike Fitzpatrick]] (former attorney of Ted Williams), contended that the family pact, which was scribbled on an ink-stained napkin, was forged by John-Henry and/or Claudia.<ref name="sptimes">{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Carrie |date=July 20, 2002 |title=Williams' shift from will must be proved |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2002/07/20/williams-shift-from-will-must-be-proved/ |newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times]]}}</ref> Fitzpatrick and Ferrell believed that the signature was not obtained legally. Laboratory analysis proved that the signature was genuine.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 19, 2003 |title=Prosecutors won't file criminal charges |url=https://www.espn.in/mlb/news/story?id=1598546 |work=[[ESPN]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> John-Henry said that his father was a believer in science and was willing to try cryonics if it held the possibility of reuniting the family.<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite news |last=Sandomir |first=Richard |title=Williams Children Agree to Keep Their Father Frozen |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 21, 2002 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/21/sports/baseball-williams-children-agree-to-keep-their-father-frozen.html}}</ref>

Though the family pact upset some friends, family and fans, a public plea for financial support of the lawsuit by Ferrell produced little result.<ref name="nytimes"/> Citing financial difficulties, Ferrell dropped her lawsuit on the condition that a $645,000 trust fund left by Williams would immediately pay the sum out equally to the three children.<ref name="nytimes"/>

In ''Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero'', author [[Leigh Montville]] claims that the family cryonics pact was a practice Ted Williams [[autograph]] on a plain piece of paper, around which the agreement had later been handwritten. The pact document was signed "''Ted Williams''", the same as his autographs, whereas he would always sign his legal documents "''Theodore Williams''", according to Montville. However, his daughter Claudia who was part of the pact with John Henry, testified to the authenticity of the document in an [[affidavit]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sandomir |first1=Richard |title=Note Dated 2000 Says Williams Wanted His Remains Frozen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/26/sports/baseball-note-dated-2000-says-williams-wanted-his-remains-frozen.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 26, 2002}}</ref>

Williams' body was subsequently decapitated for the neuropreservation option from Alcor.<ref>{{cite web |author=Bradlee Jr. |first=Ben |date=December 2, 2013 |title=What It Took to Get Ted Williams' Head off His Body |url=https://deadspin.com/what-it-took-to-get-ted-williamss-head-off-his-body-1475054922/amp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627155802/https://deadspin.com/what-it-took-to-get-ted-williamss-head-off-his-body-1475054922/amp |archive-date=June 27, 2016 |work=[[Deadspin]]}}</ref> Following John-Henry's unexpected illness and death from [[acute myeloid leukemia]] on March 6, 2004, John-Henry's body was also transported to [[Alcor Life Extension Foundation|Alcor]], in fulfillment of the family agreement.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 13, 2004 |title=John Henry Williams dies of leukemia at 35 |url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=1753358 |website=[[ESPN]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>