Jeremy Giambi, who passed away at the age of 47 on Wednesday, had his death ruled as a suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Los Angeles medical examiner.
Giambi was discovered at his parents’ Southern California home by police at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday where he was determined to be deceased.
Giambi’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said in a statement Wednesday that the family requested privacy.
Giambi’s major league career spanned from 1998-2003, three years of which (2000-2002) were spent with the A’s in Oakland. From 2000-2001 Giambi shared the A’s clubhouse with his older brother Jason.
“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a member of our Green and Gold family, Jeremy Giambi,” the A’s said in a statement. “We offer our condolences to Jeanne, Jason, and his family and friends.”
Giambi also played for the Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies and finished his career with the Boston Red Sox in 2003.
Both Giambi brothers were featured in Michael Lewis’ famous 2003 book “Moneyball” with Jeremy Giambi portrayed on screen in the film version that was released in 2011.
“I am completely shocked by the news about Jeremy,” Former teammate Barry Zito told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. “He was an incredibly loving human being with a very soft heart and it was evident to us as his teammates that he had some deeper battles going on.
“I hope this can be a wake up call for people out there to not go at it alone and for families and friends to trust their intuition When they feel somebody close to them needs help. God bless Jeremy and his family in this difficult time.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.