Singer leading Jackie Robinson festivities collapses before White Sox game against Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays stands for the Star-Spangled Banner on Jackie Robinson Day before a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Chicago.

The Tampa Bay Rays stands for the Star-Spangled Banner on Jackie Robinson Day before a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)


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CHICAGO — A singer leading the "Jackie Robinson Day" festivities before the Chicago White Sox's game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night collapsed and was taken to a hospital.

The White Sox said Gerald Chaney of Chicago was alert after he collapsed while performing "Lift Every Voice and Sing." He was a few words into the hymn considered the Black national anthem when he stopped. He started again and collapsed.

Emergency medical technicians tended to Chaney for several minutes before he was loaded onto a gurney and taken from the field. The teams watched from their dugouts. The start of the game was delayed 12 minutes.

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