Sarah Palin is grieving a devastating personal loss after her boyfriend, former NHL star Ron Duguay, died at 69 following a difficult battle with cancer. The former Alaska governor shared the heartbreaking news on Thursday, October 22, 2026, expressing both profound sorrow and comfort in her faith. Duguay was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, and the disease eventually progressed to stage 4, spreading to his appendix and gallbladder. In an emotional Instagram tribute, Palin wrote, \u201cIt\u2019s with a shattered heart, but also deep peace knowing Ron is with Jesus now. He fought so hard. Love never ends.\u201d Duguay\u2019s daughter, Shay Thomas, also shared the family\u2019s grief, writing that their hearts were broken and that they would love their father forever. The news prompted an outpouring of condolences from fans, friends, and members of the hockey community who remembered Duguay not only for his athletic talent but also for his distinctive personality and lasting impact on the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palin and Duguay were first romantically linked in 2022, with their connection growing stronger during a challenging period in her life. While Palin was involved in a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times<\/em>, she said Duguay offered valuable support and a welcome perspective outside the political world. Their relationship later became more public through appearances together in New York and Alaska. Duguay\u2019s illness brought increasingly difficult days for the couple and his family. Earlier in 2026, his daughter described the emotional strain of watching someone she loved endure the relentless demands of cancer treatment. Palin also asked followers to keep Duguay in their thoughts and prayers, sharing a photograph of herself holding his hand in a hospital bed during his final days. Beyond his relationship with Palin, Duguay leaves behind three children: Shay Thomas, Amber Stavros, and Noah. His passing also marks the loss of a memorable figure in professional hockey, whose career began when the New York Rangers selected him in the first round of the 1977 NHL Draft. He played 12 NHL seasons with the Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins, later working as a hockey analyst for MSG Network from 2007 to 2018. The Rangers honored his legacy, remembering his flowing hair, signature skating style, skill, and charisma. As loved ones mourn a man who fought hard until the end, Palin\u2019s words offer a deeply personal reminder of the love that remains even after a heartbreaking goodbye.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sarah Palin is grieving a devastating personal loss after her boyfriend, former NHL star Ron Duguay, died at 69 following a difficult battle with cancer. The former… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":58881,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"views":27,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=58880"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58882,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58880\/revisions\/58882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/58881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=58880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=58880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=58880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}