LA Rams Legend LeRoy Irvin Died at 68 After Mass on His Neck Prevented Him From Breathing

Los Angeles Rams legend LeRoy Irvin’s cause of death has been revealed. 

Irvin died earlier this month due to “acute hypoxic respiratory failure from neck mass obstruction,” according to a death certificate obtained by The California Post on Tuesday, July 28. He was 68. 

The certificate also lists aspiration pneumonia and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma — a type of cancer that affects the nose, throat and mouth — as contributing conditions.

In the years before his death, Irvin had also dealt with lymphoma, Pakinson’s disease, dementia, hypertension and prostate cancer, according to the document.

Irvin underwent a tracheostomy on June 14, just weeks before he died, presumably to help him breathe easier. 

The former football star was pronounced dead on July 2. 

Irvin played 11 seasons as a cornerback and punt returner in the NFL, 10 of those with the Los Angeles Rams. He played the final season of his career with the Detroit Lions in 1990. 

A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Irvin still holds the NFL record for most punt return games in a game (207), which he did against the Atlanta Falcons in 1981. 

“You’ll never find anything selfish about LeRoy Irvin,” Rams legend Eric Dickerson told TheRams.com earlier this month. “I don’t think people realize what a great player LeRoy was, because the media was not as big as it is right now. I mean, LeRoy would always say, ‘Man, if I was playing today, I’d make $20 to 30 million right now.’ I said, ‘I know, me too!’”

Dickerson, 65, continued, “But LeRoy was just like me. He says, ‘I’m happy for these guys.’ I’d say, ‘Me too. I’m happy these guys are getting paid. I feel the same way.’ LeRoy was just an unselfish guy, just really unselfish.”

Former Rams kicker Mike Lansford said Irvin was “loaded with athleticism, intelligence, charisma, and enough energy to chase anything down successfully on and off the field.”

“He’s a father. Our children are great friends,” Lansford, 68, added. Irvin was a father of four: sons Leroy III, Charles and Julius and daughter Sarah.

Former Rams cornerback Ivory Sully remembered his late teammate for his tenacity on the field. 

“He had an attitude, he had the corner attitude that you need, like, ‘I don’t care what you thought of me, I’m not going to be bothered, I’m just going to be LeRoy Irvin,’” Sully, 69, told TheRams.com. “I loved that about LeRoy. LeRoy was going to do it [with] his technique, he’s going to do it for the team, our team way, but his technique was impeccable.”

Sully continued, “His feet were just so good, so quick, so effortless. He was born to be a corner, but he was also born to be a guy you could circle the wagons with because he kept the pressure down.”