Young cancer patient befriended by Dodgers player dies

A terminally ill fan who became well-known in the sports world after being befriended by Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp died Tuesday at 19.

Tracey, Calif., resident Joshua Jones first got attention in early May when a video was posted on YouTube that showed Kemp approaching Jones following a game against the Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Kemp signed a baseball for Jones, then gave him his jersey, hat and shoes.

The video has since been viewed more than 3 million times. Jones posted a photo on Instagram of what Kemp gave him with the caption, “Matt Kemp gave me his uniform! Thanks Matt, I will never forget that moment!!!”

Following the attention his initial act of kindness received, Kemp flew Jones and his family to Los Angeles in late May to attend a Dodgers home game. Jones was able to meet again with Kemp, along with Dodgers president Stan Kasten and pitcher Clayton Kershaw, and Angels outfielder Mike Trout, Yahoo Sports reported at the time.

Kemp had been planning to call Jones again on Thursday, but found out Wednesday that Jones had died Tuesday night.

“I was actually supposed to call him here,” Kemp said. “They were telling me his story and telling me he didn’t have too much time left, and I was supposed to call him. … I didn’t find out until sometime after BP.”

Kemp told ESPN he was still in disbelief that he had not been able to speak with Jones one more time before his death.

He said Jones had impacted his life and the lives of many others after the story first went viral in May.

“I’m just glad I got to meet him and do what I did for him,” he said. “I’m glad he got to come on the field and meet all the players and see a Dodger game. It was very exciting for me to do that for him, and I’m glad I could before he passed.”

Contact Stephanie Grimes at sgrimes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @steph_grimes on Twitter.