Former NFL linebacker Dean Wells has died at age 54.
The Carolina Panthers, where Wells played for three seasons, confirmed his passing in a statement on Friday, April 4. The team said Wells died a day earlier, on April 3.
He is survived by his wife Lisa and their two sons, per the team.
Wells was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2023 and received a bone marrow transplant in May 2024. He discussed his journey during an interview with KSR in April 2024.
“Show me who to tackle and I can do that,” he told the outlet of maintaining a strong optimism amid his cancer treatments. “This is in the doctors’ hands and it’s in God’s hands.”
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Wells said that “so many” of his former teammates reached out following his diagnosis. Many of them told him things like, “‘You’re one of the toughest guys I’ve ever met. I know you’ll beat this,’ ” he shared with KSR.
“There’s mental toughness that comes into it,” Wells explained. “You have to have a positive attitude that you can beat it. I’ve done everything that I can with that. It’s like the chemo either works or it doesn’t. You just don’t have a lot of control over it. You wish you had more control.”
According to KSR, Wells went into remission a few months after beginning his first round of chemotherapy treatments, but the cancer came back just before the start of his alma mater Kentucky’s football season in 2023.
The former NFL linebacker was reportedly very passionate about spreading awareness around cancer in the final year of his life. Wells frequently donated blood, and gave money to cancer research initiatives, per KSR.
Wells was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 1993 and spent six seasons with the team before playing his final three seasons for the Carolina Panthers. During his nine years in the NFL, Wells recorded 529 total tackles, two and a half sacks, three interceptions and six forced fumbles.
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