Former Eagles fullback Kevin Turner died on Thursday morning at the age of 46, according to the Kevin Turner Foundation.
Turner, who played for the Eagles from 1995-99, battled with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) for the last six years.
In his five seasons with the Eagles, Turner played in 58 games and started 46. Turner played collegiately at Alabama and was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 1992 NFL Draft.
From the time of his diagnosis in 2010, Turner turned his attention to his foundation to raise awareness to ALS and "sports-related traumatic brain injuries."
Turner was one of the faces of the group of NFL players who sued the league for healthcare costs and compensation for players who suffered brain injuries while playing in the NFL.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie released the following statement on Thursday:
“We lost a special person today in Kevin Turner. He was extremely courageous and inspiring throughout his life. I will never forget how excited we were when we signed him in 1995 and how valuable of a player he was leading the way for Ricky Watters, Charlie Garner and Duce Staley. But as good of a football player as he was, he was even a better man. His high character, kindness and respectful nature stood out to me the most. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
NFL
Turner's last NFL season was in 1999, when he was a teammate with Eagles head coach Doug Pederson.
“It’s a sad day," Pederson said in a statement. "Even though I only spent one year of my career with Kevin Turner in Philadelphia, it didn’t take but more than a few days to know how special of a person he was, how great of a teammate he was, and how great of a leader he was in the locker room. He was a special person on and off the field. I will always remember the great work his foundation did over the years and I will always remember the way he fought until the very end.”
Turner was also a teammate of Donovan McNabb, when McNabb was a rookie in 1999. McNabb tweeted the following on Thursday afternoon: "Prayers and blessing go out to a former teammate of mine Kevin Turner, unfortunately he passed away. Great mentor and friend. KT we miss you."
Turner's father, Raymond, posted the following message on Thursday: "Myra and I lost a great son today. He will be missed so much. Thanks to everyone so very much for your support and prayers during this journey. He was ready to go to Heaven, excited he said, Love y'all and God Bless."