Nelsey Cruz, the sister of one of baseball's all-time great players, Nelson Cruz, and former Yankee Octavio Dotel died Tuesday at the popular Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic.
While the country's very popular merengue singer Rubby Perez was in the middle of a song, the roof and ceiling just collapsed. People almost instantly perished, including the the former great baseball star Dotel and Perez.
In all, authorities say 221 people died and more than 200 were injured.
To say that Nelson is shattered would be an understatement. The Cruz family is one of the most respected families in the Dominican Republic with both of Nelson's parents being incredibly talented educators in their country's education system.
The Cruz family is also known for their dedication to each other. I consider myself very close to the family, and I can only imagine the pain.
As for Octavio, I can only say that I am missing him already. During the short time that he spent with the Yankees, he was a hero to many Bronx kids.
I relied on him often to help me with different charities including the Hackensack Medical Center.
I will never forget showing up late to one of the events I put together, and he was already at the site reading one of my books to several dozen kids.
He was also an amazing husband and father.
As for Rubby Perez, he was the equivalent of Tony Bennett here in the states. He had many popular hits and was a true philanthropist. No charity was too big or too small.
The Dominican Republic is truly in mourning and will be for a long time, because these people will be sorely missed.
God, I beg of you to give the families the strength to carry on.
Ray Negron is a sports executive with over 40 years of experience in baseball. His first job came from a chance encounter with George Steinbrenner as a youth. Mr. Negron is also an American film producer, a best-selling author, and philanthropist. His memoir is, "Yankee Miracles: Life with the Boss and the Bronx Bombers." Read Ray Negron's Reports — More Here.
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