How did Lance Mackey die? Tributes pour in as 4-time Iditarod champion passes away at 52

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,

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:

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.

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.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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