Lonnie Wheeler, author of more than a dozen books, has died

Lonnie Wheeler, who wrote or collaborated on more than a dozen sports books, including Hank Aaron's autobiography, has died after years of struggling with conditions related to muscular dystrophy. He was 68.

Wheeler's family posted on his Facebook page Wednesday afternoon that he'd been facing “increasingly complicated health conditions” and was hospitalized. He went into cardiac arrest on Sunday night and died Tuesday night.

Wheeler lived in New Richmond, Ohio, and worked for several newspapers, including The Cincinnati Enquirer, the Cincinnati Post and USA Today.

He collaborated with Aaron on his autobiography titled “I Had a Hammer.” He also collaborated on autobiographies of Bob Gibson and Mike Piazza. Wheeler's last book was “The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell: Speed, Grace, and the Negro Leagues.”

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