In memoriam: Larry Lucchino, Chairman of the Jimmy Fund

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund community mourn the passing of our longtime Dana-Farber Trustee and Chairman of the Jimmy Fund, Larry Lucchino.

Since first becoming involved with Dana-Farber as a patient in the mid-1980s, Larry was a tireless champion for our cause and a passionate voice for cancer survivorship. Through his many roles at Dana-Farber, including Board member and spokesperson, his impact on the Institute cannot be overstated.

After Larry became President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox in 2002, he helped strengthen the longtime partnership between the Red Sox and the Jimmy Fund and was the driving force behind starting the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon, which has raised more than $70 million since 2002, thanks in no small part to Larry’s leadership.

Larry also served as Co-Chair of Dana-Farber’s Mission Possible Campaign from 2004-2011, leading a historic fundraising effort, which ultimately raised $1.18 billion and led to the development of the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care.  

In 2016, Larry became the Jimmy Fund’s Chairman, acting as lead ambassador, making dozens of appearances at events like the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk and Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl®, and helping to raise significant funds to support Dana-Farber’s mission. His passion for striking out cancer was clear whenever he spoke about Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund and he was instrumental in a new partnership between the Worcester Red Sox and the Jimmy Fund starting in 2021 when, as then-president of the WooSox, he brought the team to Worcester and built Polar Park—with a Jimmy Fund sign as part of the ballpark’s blueprint. He helped host Jimmy Fund Nights at Polar Park and continued to spread the good work of Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund beyond Boston.

Larry served as a member of the campaign cabinet for The Dana-Farber Campaign, our current multibillion-dollar fundraising effort to prevent, treat, and Defy Cancer. He also joined the Dana-Farber Society in 2015.

In 2023, in recognition of his dedication and longstanding commitment to striking out cancer, Larry received the Boston Red Sox Jimmy Fund Award, the Jimmy Fund’s highest honor. He was presented with the award on-field at one of his favorite places—Fenway Park—with David Ortiz, Dana-Farber doctors, and current and former patients among the audience cheering him on.

Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund extend our deepest sympathies to Larry’s family, who have kindly directed tribute gifts to support our mission, as Larry always did in life.