How did Lance Mackey die Tributes pour in as 4-time Iditarod champion passes away at 52 × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout SK POP News How did Lance Mackey die Tributes pour in as 4-time Iditarod champion passes away at 52 By Anupal Sraban Neog Modified 09 Sep 2022 Follow Us Comment Share Lance Mackey recently died at the age of 52 (Image via Lance Mackey/Facebook) Famous dog musher and dog sled racer Lance Mackey recently passed away at the age of 52. Officials for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race paid tribute to Mackey on social media by posting pictures of him. The caption read, “We at Iditarod Nation are mourning the loss of 4-time Iditarod Champion, Lance Mackey. Lance passed away late in the evening of September 7, 2022 after a 20+ year battle with cancer.” View this post on Instagram Instagram Post They also wrote, “Lance embodied the Spirit of the Race, the tenacity of an Alaskan musher, displayed the ultimate show of perseverance and was loved by his fans. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, fans and the mushing community.” Lance Mackey s cause of death explored Through a Facebook post in August, Lance Mackey revealed that he had throat cancer. In the post, he wrote that the past few months were hard for him since he was receiving treatment at a hospital. Mackey was diagnosed with the disease in 2001 but continued to work and participated in the Iditarod race in 2002. However, he could not finish it, and due to health complications, he had to take a break for an entire year for a full recovery. He was also suffering from Raynaud’s syndrome, which was a result of a cold. The problem led to severe pain in his finger, and he had to amputate his left index finger. Lance also had addiction problems, and when he tested positive for methamphetamine at the 2020 Iditarod, he joined a rehab. He has always been open about his addiction to alcohol and cocaine. Netizens pay tribute on Twitter Lance became a familiar name in all these years for being a flawless dog sled racer. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about his demise: Nancy D.@IdahoLarkRIP Lance Mackey. It was a pleasure handling for your start of the 2015 Iditarod, even though you had two of your dogs get "tied" while you were smoking a doobie with about 10 minutes to your starting time. At least you weren't stressed like we were! What a true Alaska character.573RIP Lance Mackey. It was a pleasure handling for your start of the 2015 Iditarod, even though you had two of your dogs get "tied" while you were smoking a doobie with about 10 minutes to your starting time. At least you weren't stressed like we were! What a true Alaska character. https://t.co/FHN3h3Umop Jess@fartsockMushing lost a legend. RIP Lance Mackey.754Mushing lost a legend. RIP Lance Mackey. greenmachine@greenmachine907RIP Lance Mackey. A true Alaska legend and dog man154RIP Lance Mackey. A true Alaska legend and dog man Jordan Rodenberger@JRodenberger_Legend. Icon. The face of a sport. Lance Mackey passed away at 52 after a long battle with cancer. 4x Iditarod Champion, 4x Yukon Quest Champion and the only musher to win both races in the same year. Impossible to tell this man's story and impact in a few words or minutes #RIP2010Legend. Icon. The face of a sport. Lance Mackey passed away at 52 after a long battle with cancer. 4x Iditarod Champion, 4x Yukon Quest Champion and the only musher to win both races in the same year. Impossible to tell this man's story and impact in a few words or minutes #RIP https://t.co/novEHYYZOk ????? ?????????????@PlanB9o7RIP Lance Mackey i now need this jacket even more now161RIP Lance Mackey i now need this jacket even more now https://t.co/Cqn7bjPcxt ??????? ?????@shannynmooreRIP Lance Mackey. Hero. Legend. Humble af. I will never forgive the @The_Iditarod for pot testing. Love to your family and friends, and Alaska for our loss. Mush on…262RIP Lance Mackey. Hero. Legend. Humble af. I will never forgive the @The_Iditarod for pot testing. Love to your family and friends, and Alaska for our loss. Mush on… https://t.co/e4oAERdPEw Jill Sutherland@MeanderingPawsRIP Lance Mackey. You were my favorite musher, and a great inspiration to keep going. Your life was hard, but you left us a legacy, never to be forgotten. Run free with your dogs now. #lancemackey #legends #mushing #dogsledding #dogbooks153RIP Lance Mackey. You were my favorite musher, and a great inspiration to keep going. Your life was hard, but you left us a legacy, never to be forgotten. Run free with your dogs now. #lancemackey #legends #mushing #dogsledding #dogbooks https://t.co/nmL55UI2Uy Devin Fry@FryTheSportsGuyRIP to an Alaskan Legend. I’ll never forget interviewing Lance Mackey at his kennel ahead of his return to the Iditarod. An inspiration to many, gone too soon.91RIP to an Alaskan Legend. I’ll never forget interviewing Lance Mackey at his kennel ahead of his return to the Iditarod. An inspiration to many, gone too soon. https://t.co/HiW6fIqh2f Seth Wickersham@SethWickershamLance Mackey was the wildest, craziest, toughest athlete: drugs and booze, cancer ravaging his body, half his face was scarred and frostbitten, few fingers, only one arm worked, he’d lose teeth and keep mushing. And yet, it was in his physical failures that he drew success. RIP.217Lance Mackey was the wildest, craziest, toughest athlete: drugs and booze, cancer ravaging his body, half his face was scarred and frostbitten, few fingers, only one arm worked, he’d lose teeth and keep mushing. And yet, it was in his physical failures that he drew success. RIP. quaRYANtine@ry_hudsonLance Mackey was the first musher to win the Yukon Quest and Iditarod in the same year — and then did it a second time for good measure. Here he is last month, about a year after he announced his cancer had returned. RIP.5Lance Mackey was the first musher to win the Yukon Quest and Iditarod in the same year — and then did it a second time for good measure. Here he is last month, about a year after he announced his cancer had returned. RIP. https://t.co/7c2Bhj2395 Lance Mackey s journey as a dog sled racer Lance Mackey made his debut as a sled dog musher in the 2001 Iditarod, where he finished 36th. He became the first person to win the Yukon Quest and Iditarod in 2007 and emerged as the winner of the Tustumena 200 in 2008. Lance Mackey was a popular dog musher and dog sled racer (Image via Lance Mackey/Facebook) He won the Iditarod again in 2009 and finished second in the Yukon Quest in 2010. He failed to be among the top 10 Iditarod finishers despite trying it five times. His 21st place finish at the 2020 Iditarod was vacated after he failed a drug test in May 2020. He was the owner of the Comeback Kennel near Fairbanks, Alaska. Although it was home to 60 dogs, the kennel was criticized for using CBS treatment on dogs. Lance used to race as a kid, and his mother finished fourth in the Women’s North American Championships when she was seven months pregnant. Later, his parents split, and Lance started living with his mother. He was often arrested on different charges while he was still young. He was then sent to live with his father at Coldfoot Truck Stop. He was the son of famous dog musher Dick Mackey and his half-brother Rick Mackey was the winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1983. Lance is survived by his children, Atigun and Lozen. Poll : 0 votes Edited by Shreya Das × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? 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