With his signature flowing hair, movie-star looks and dazzling skill on the ice, Ron Duguay became far more than a hockey player—he was one of the sport’s most recognizable heartthrobs.
Duguay died Thursday at 69 after being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2024. His girlfriend, politician Sarah Palin, shared news of his death on social media.
“It’s with a shattered heart, but also deep peace knowing Ron is with Jesus now. He fought so hard. Love never ends,” Palin, the former Alaska governor and one-time vice presidential candidate, wrote.
Duguay appeared in nearly 1,000 NHL games during a career that stretched from the late 1970s into the 1980s. After his death, a source close to the former hockey star said his loved ones had feared the outcome as his illness progressed.
“He was very strong until the last couple of weeks, when things took a turn for the worse. Everyone expected this to be the result, but it is still heartbreaking because he was so well known in the family as a man’s man and tough as nails. Seeing him this way was incredibly jarring, and everyone is devastated.”
Yet Duguay’s legacy extended well beyond his accomplishments on the rink. His charisma, striking appearance and larger-than-life personality opened doors that few of his fellow players could walk through. Despite his coach’s objections, the long-haired star became a familiar face at Manhattan’s most fashionable nightspots while embracing New York’s legendary nightlife.
Sarah Palin announced the death of her boyfriend Ron Duguay on social media Thursday
Duguay’s movie-star looks and long hair helped him become a hockey heartthrob beyond the sport
The former Rangers star played nearly 1,000 NHL games between the late 1970s and 1980s
In 2019, Duguay recalled one particularly unforgettable night at Studio 54, saying he wound up in Gene Simmons’s bed with Cher after an evening of partying at the iconic club in the late 1970s.
Following a victory over the Islanders, the 24-year-old hockey player went to Studio 54 to celebrate. There, a woman gestured for him to come over—only for Duguay to discover that she was Liza Minnelli.
After chatting with Minnelli’s husband, Duguay was invited to her home for a party. Later, Minnelli asked whether he would like to meet someone else. When he agreed, she summoned Cher from the dance floor.
“If you know Cher, if she wants something, she goes after it,” Duguay recalled on the New York Post’s Rangers podcast, Up In The Blue Seats.
“She grabs me by the arm and says, ‘You dance?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ So we go and start dancing. We’re dancing to all this fun stuff back then—the Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Billy Joel. To this day, if you Google ‘Ron Duguay and Cher,’ her head’s on my shoulder. She’s looking very comfortable. And you look at my face, and the expression on my face is like, ‘Oh my God, I’m dancing with Cher.’”
The pair later waited in the lobby of Minnelli’s building before taking a taxi to a townhouse. Before they entered, Duguay said Cher warned him: “By the way, I don’t beep, beep, beep on the first date.”
“Fill in the blank,” Duguay said, adding: “And I said, ‘I’m happy to just be here.’”
Once inside, Duguay realized he was not at Cher’s home. The gold records displayed on the walls soon gave away the address: it was Gene Simmons’s townhouse.
“So I’m in Gene Simmons’s townhouse, not sure why I’m there,” Duguay recalled. “Next thing I know, she told me, ‘We’re not doing anything tonight.’ Next thing you know, we’re sitting on his bed. And that’s where the story stops.”
Duguay, pictured with former Miss USA Kim Seelbrede in 1981, was a fixture of Manhattan’s nightlife scene
The hockey star recalled ending up at Gene Simmons’s townhouse with Cher after a night at Studio 54
Duguay was considered for a role in Raiders of the Lost Ark and posed for Andy Warhol
‘I couldn’t settle down with Cher, I was only 24,’ he later joked.
After a meeting with Andy Warhol in 1980, the legendary artist decided he wanted to put Duguay on the cover of his Interview magazine. He also included his portrait with the likes of Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his Athletes series.
That meeting with Warhol also led to an encounter with iconic Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, who briefly considered giving him the lead role in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Duguay was eventually traded by the Rangers to the Red Wings in 1983. He believed it was because then-Rangers coach Herb Brooks didn’t appreciate Duguay’s celebrity lifestyle.
‘He got his way,’ Duguay told The New York Times, referring to Brooks. ‘I wasn’t shocked, because there’s been so much talk about it, but I was very disappointed… I love New York and I hate to leave there.’
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Duguay went on to marry model Robin Bobo in 1983. The couple, who share daughters Shay and Amber, later divorced. He then got remarried in 1993 to Kim Alexis, spending 20 years and having son Noah with the model before they divorced in 2016.
While Duguay and Palin have been closely linked since 2022 and she has frequently been seen at his bedside throughout his illness, including in family videos showing her feeding him in his hospital bed, the two never officially confirmed their relationship status publicly.
Duguay was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in December 2024. The cancer later spread to his liver.
Duguay married Kim Alexis in 1993
Duguay has two daughters with Bobo and one son with Alexis, who has two sons with her ex
Duguay, pictured with daughters Shay and Amber, frequently shared photos of his close family
The family announced Duguay’s diagnosis back in February, setting up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds to support his treatment.
‘Because of his cancer, he hasn’t been able to work the way he normally would,’ his daughter Shay wrote on the fundraising page.
‘Earlier in his treatment journey, the care he received in Florida nearly cost him his life. That led us to bring him to Orange County [California], where my sister and I live, so he could receive treatment here.’
Duguay was rushed to the hospital in July after being found unconscious at home following a fall that left him with severe facial injuries.
Extensive medical testing revealed severe underlying complications tied to his ongoing cancer battle, including varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, internal bleeding and an ulcer.
Shay revealed at the time that the cancer in his liver – combined with the physical toll of surgery, chemotherapy and a hepatic pump – caused severe pressure to build up inside the organ, backing up into his stomach and causing internal bleeding.
While Duguay was undergoing chemotherapy treatment, he had to have his gallbladder and appendix removed.
Duguay and Shay opened up about his relationship with Palin in an exclusive interview with Our News Outlet earlier this year.
Shay revealed they are ‘very close,’ adding that ‘they haven’t been able to see each other as much lately because of what my dad is going through, and Sarah also has obligations caring for her son, Trig, who requires additional care.’
‘I go there at different times,’ Duguay himself explained. ‘I help with her landscaping in the summer, and I help in the winter clearing a little bit of snow, so I happened to be there in October… but unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling myself, so I had to leave.’
The New York Rangers icon had been battling Stage 4 colon cancer for over a year
Palin, the former governor of Alaska, has been seen by her boyfriend’s side during treatment
She took to Instagram earlier this week to issue a desperate plea for prayers for Duguay
Duguay enjoyed a stellar 12-season NHL career from 1977 to 1989, playing over 860 games across stints with the Rangers, Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings.
He played his first six seasons with the Rangers after they selected him with the 13th pick in the draft in 1977. The Sudbury, Canada, native was an All-Star as a point-a-game producer in 1981-82.
Duguay finished his career in the league with 673 points in the regular season and playoffs, then played in Germany and the minors.
Following his retirement from professional hockey, Duguay transitioned into broadcasting, serving as an in-studio analyst for MSG Network’s coverage of the Rangers for 12 years before stepping away in 2018.
‘The New York Rangers organization mourns the loss of Ron Duguay, one of the most popular players in franchise history,’ the club said in a statement.
‘Ron’s signature skating style – with his hair flowing as he moved down the ice – captivated the [Madison Square] Garden faithful, and his skill, tenacity and charisma earned him the admiration of all New Yorkers.
‘We join the hockey community in sending our condolences to Ron´s friends, family and loved ones during this difficult time.’
