Fund Begun For Sons Of Bridgeport Major Leaguer Who Died Suddenly

RIDGEFIELD, CT — A Ridgefield woman has begun a fundraising campaign to pay the funeral expenses for her boyfriend and former Major League Baseball player Angel Echevarria, who died suddenly on Friday.

Echevarria played in the majors from 1996 to 2002, for the Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs. He later played for the Bridgeport Bluefish, and in Japan for a couple of years. At the time of his passing, he was a batting instructor at Simply Baseball, working out of The Factory in Norwalk. Jazmine Cox, of Ridgefield, met Echevarria, a Bridgeport native, about six years ago.

Cox said that the cause of her boyfriend's death is still undetermined.

"He was feeling not well in the days prior (to his death)," Cox said. "He felt dizzy, and he fell in the bathroom on Friday."

Echevarria called Cox, and when she arrived in Bridgeport "he was shaking and he was sweating and unable to stand on his own," she said. Cox contacted emergency services who took him to Bridgeport Hospital, where he later died.

Cox started a GoFundMe campaign to finance all funeral and burial expenses. Any remaining funds will be immediately transferred to his sons, Angel Echevarria, Jr., 26, and Aurie Echevarria, 18, she said.

Cox has three children of her own. Daughters Kyra, 19, Kaylee, 17, and Katelyn, a junior at Ridgefield High School.

"Angel was a loving father and the most kind and generous human being to not only his sons and his family in Puerto Rico, but also to my three girls," Cox posted on the Campaign page. "He treated them as his own. He was present and selfless in everything he did. Angel had a tremendous heart and touched many lives. He will truly be missed by all that have crossed his path."

Cox said that the outpouring of support following Echevarria's death "has been overwhelming."

A goal of $25,000 has been set for the GoFundMe campaign. One day into the drive, $10,350 has been pledged.

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