Spoiler : Lou Gehrig (Henry Louis Gehrig, originally Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig) Born New York, New York, June 19,1903 Died New York, New York, June 2, 1941 Age 37 (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) Had he not contracted ALS we probably would remember Lou (whose baseball nickname was Buster) for something more than being a terrific athlete. He did a number of radio shows, most notably Ripley's Believe It or Not in which he flubbed an impromptu commercial. But he was invited back and did more shows (no recordings exist).