John Henry Williams, son of Ted Williams, died today of leukemia

[cryofan]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4472795/

He was only about 35, and he was a hero to me and to others in the cryonics movement because of the way he went through media feeding frenzy hell in order to make sure his father Ted Williams was cryopreserved at Alcor in Phoenix, AZ.

We are trying to find out now whether John Henry was able to be cryopreserved himself.

[jenk]

1. didn't even realize he was sick

wow, so young. Didn't he have a tryout with the Red Sox a few months before Ted died?

[private_ryan]

2. you believe in that?

didn't follow that case that much, but if he froze his dad against his wishes, it's sick.

[NEOBuckeye]

3. That part about chopping off the head of Williams' body and freezing it...

Was pretty bizarre and disturbing. I always thought that they just froze your entire body whole.

[Shopaholic]

4. Yes he did try out for pro baseball

very shortly before his father died.

[cryofan]

5. In one sense, it is not that I "believe in it", but that...

....I have weighed its possibilities and have found it to be the best path to obtain a greatly extended lifespan.

In another sense, yes, it does tap into the same brain circuitry and feelings that most people have about religion.

But cryonics is actually a scientific experiment designed to determine whether a frozen person can be recovered in the distant future if frozen today. If the experiment is successfully, a wonderful result will be virtual immortality for myself and the other cryos. If the experiment is a failure, then I will never awaken.

[joshcryer]

8. If his dad "wakes up" one day.

I doubt he'd begrudge his son for doing it. Just a thought.

[MaineDem]

6. John Henry was a jerk

I'm sorry he died so young though.

But he was always a jerk.

[Career Prole]

7. Quick!

Someone bury Ted!

[cryofan]

9. It is starting to look like JHW was not cryopreserved

from the messages on this message board, http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/54032
it looks like he was not cryopreserved.

That is too bad....

[joshcryer]

10. Not a "cryofan" persay, but it does interest me.

That's quite odd, it really is. I thought that John even stated explicitly that they wanted the whole (immediate) family to be preserved...

If that really is their desire, then I think that JHW should go with Cryonics.org...

[cryofan]

11. well, impending death does funny things to people

We do not know what happened. But from apparent quasi-insider reports on that board above, he is not getting frozen by Alcor. He may indeed be frozen by Cryonics Institute. No one knows yet.

Whether the problem was that his leukemia treatment drained all his funds, or whether Alcor would not process his application because of the 111K still owed for Ted Williams, or whether John Henry never really accepted that the leukemia would kill him, no one knows.

Death can seem very distant to a strapping 35 year old athlete. I recall the recent case of an Oakland Raiders safety who died of cancer. Almost until the day he died, he was denying by phone that he was in any kind of trouble healthwise.

I just hope that the full story does come out, because I think all cryonicists owe John Henry a debt of gratitude.

[frylock]

12. fuck john henry williams. karma is a bitch.

That fucking piece of shit would sit his dad at a table, and make him sign memorablia for hours on end. His abuse of Ted Williams didn't end after Teds passing. It was Ted's wish to be cremated, and his ashes scattered over the Keys, where he spent much of his life sportfishing. This asshole cared about money, and nothing else. I hope he rots in hell.

[cryofan]

13. Naw, you're wrong

JHW turned around his father's finances. TW was BROKE!

[WilliamPitt]

18. NOW

I understand your screen name. :)

[thebigidea]

14. the irony of this is kinda funny. You're bringing up karma while hoping...

he rots in hell.

As far as the cruelty of signing memorabilia goes... well, what else do you expect him to do? He had no other talents.

[frylock]

15. what jhw did was elder abuse, plain and simple.

[thebigidea]

16. how much money did TW make from this abuse?

man, I sure wish I could be abused like that in my old age.

[frylock]

17. nevermind

[cryofan]

19. other media sources are now saying he was cryopreserved after all

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/03/08/death_strikes_early/

The media seems to think he was taken to Alcor. But they may be wrong. Or maybe not....Developing story!