DiMaggio was Yankee center fielder from 1936 to 1951, except for three
seasons he missed while serving in World War II. During that time he played
for 10 pennant winners and nine World Series champions, batted .325, hit
361 home runs and, in 1941, had a hitting streak that lasted for a record
56 games.
10.12.98: Joe DiMaggio, age 83, enters the hospital.
10.14.98: DiMaggio has surgery to remove a cancerous tumor.
11.25.98: DiMaggio celebrates his 84th birthday surrounded by family...in the hospital.
12.10.98 - 12.11.98: DiMaggio is in a coma and near death, with Dr. Earl Barron calling it a "very dire situation." DiMaggio's family goes to his bedside but the Hall of Famer comes out of the coma.
12.13.98: DiMaggio orders doctors to stop giving public updates on his condition.
1.18.99: Joe DiMaggio is released from the hospital after spending 99 days in the intensive care unit for treatment of lung cancer and pneumonia.
1.24.99: NBC reports that Joe DiMaggio has died. This angers the still-living DiMaggio.
3.8.99: DiMaggio dies.