was presented in acknowledgment of his contributions to Japanese baseball. Prior to his death, Lasorda was the oldest living Hall of Famer, attaining that distinction after the death of Red Schoendienst on June 6, 2018. Personal life and death Lasorda was born and raised with four brothers. His father, Sabatino was an Italian immigrant from Tollo the region of Abruzzo (Italy). His mother was Carmella (Cavuto) Lasorda. He was second born of five sons. A practicing Roman Catholic, he and his wife Jo, a Baptist, were married in 1950. Lasorda would have a priest come to Dodger games on Sundays to offer Mass for Catholic players. The couple met in Jo's hometown of Greenville, South Carolina while Lasorda was playing there for the Greenville Spinners. They resided in Fullerton, California, for more than 50 years and had two children. They named a gymnasium and youth center in memory of their son, Tom Jr., in Yorba Linda, California on September 7, 1997. In 1991, Tom Jr. (known as "Spunky") died of complications related to AIDS. Lasorda denied that his son was gay; according to sportswriter Bill Plaschke, he insisted his son died of cancer. Lasorda was the godfather to Thomas Piazza, the younger brother of Major League Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza, both of whom are also from Lasorda's hometown of Norristown, Pennsylvania. Thomas was named after Lasorda and it has been widely misstated by Steve Staats that Lasorda is Mike's godfather. Lasorda was also the godfather to Alex Avila, a catcher with the Washington Nationals. Alex's grandfather, Ralph Avila, is a former scout with the Dodgers and friend to Lasorda of over 50 years. Alex's middle name of Thomas was given for Lasorda. On June 3, 2012, at age 84, Lasorda was hospitalized in New York City after suffering a heart attack which was not considered very serious. On November 8, 2020, Lasorda was hospitalized for heart problems and reported to be "in serious condition" in intensive care. The Dodgers did not make the announcement public about his hospitalization until a week later. On December 1, 2020, Lasorda was taken out of the intensive care unit as his condition continued to improve. After being released from the hospital, he entered sudden cardiac arrest at his home two days later on January 7, 2021, was rushed back to the hospital, and was pronounced dead that night. He was 93. Numerous