Today, the baseball world mourns the loss of a passing of a Dodgers fan made famous by Matt Kemp.
Cancer-stricken Joshua Jones, 19, the recipient of a hat, jersey and shoes from Kemp, the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder in May, died Tuesday, Yahoo!Sports is reporting.
Back when the Dodgers were reeling in last place on May 7, they were in San Francisco to play the Giants. During the game, Jones' father asked Los Angeles third-base coach Tim Wallach if Kemp could say hello to the sick young man who was battling brain cancer.
The Dodgers lost that game, but Kemp went to say hello to Jones, anyway. And not only did Kemp say hello, but he also gave Jones an autograph, followed by his hat, his No. 27 Dodgers jersey and his cleats. The moment was caught on video by Jones' friend, Tommy Schultz, and went viral after it was posted publicly. In the video, Jones' face lights up when Kemp runs over to greet him.
According to Yahoo!Sports, Laelah Quintor, Jones' aunt on his mother's side, said Jones died Tuesday night after his health had declined over the past few weeks. His meeting with Kemp and the Dodgers, she says, "definitely made a difference for Joshua."
After the game, Jones thanked Kemp on his Instagram account, posting a picture of what Kemp gave him.
"Matt Kemp gave me his uniform! Thanks Matt, I will never forget that moment!!!," the caption read.
Later, Kemp flew Jones to Los Angeles for another Dodgers game, Yahoo!Sports reported, and Jones got to meet Clayton Kershaw and other Dodgers teammates of Kemp.
Yahoo!Sports added that Kemp released a statement of Jones' death through his agent.
"He has given me a new perspective on the things that are really important in life," Kemp said.
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