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

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

The White Sox said Gerald Chaney, a longtime anthem performer, was “doing well” while continuing to be evaluated. Photo: Shutterstock


Chicago, IL (AP) – 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, a longtime anthem performer, was “doing well” while continuing to be evaluated. He collapsed while performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and the team said he was alert before leaving Rate Field.

Chaney was a few words into the hymn considered the Black national anthem when he stopped. He started again and collapsed.

“I’m really glad to hear that he is doing well,” White Sox manager Will Venable said after his team’s 8-3 loss. “But obviously a scary moment. I think everyone did a great job in responding and did the best to make sure he’s all right. Really good news to hear that he is all right. That’s the most important thing, obviously.”

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.

Chaney was also scheduled to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” after performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The start of the game was delayed 12 minutes.

“The entire White Sox family is sending love to Gerald and his family for a full and speedy recovery,” the team said in a statement.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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