This morning, January 30, John Andretti lost his lengthy battle with colon cancer. The son of Mario’s twin brother Aldo and first cousin to Michael and Jeff, John was 56. Andretti Autosport issued this statement:
“It is with the heaviest of hearts we share that John Andretti has today lost his battle with cancer. John was a loving husband and father, a devoted son and a trusted cousin. He was a philanthropist, an advocate for the sport, a dedicated teammate, a driven competitor and most importantly a dear friend.
“Through Race4Riley, John spent decades dedicating his time and fundraising attention to Riley Hospital for Children. When first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017, John vowed to fight back and use his voice to help spread the word of prevention and early detection. He fought hard and stole back days the disease vowed to take away. He helped countless others undergo proper screening, and in doing so, saved lives.
“We will forever carry with us John’s genuine spirit of helping others first and himself second. Our prayers today are with Nancy, Jarett, Olivia and Amelia, with our entire family, and with fans worldwide.
“We urge all our followers to, please, #CheckIt4Andretti.”
John Andretti with his uncle Mario at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where John was advocating for colonoscopy screening and early detection for colon cancer prevention. [Doug McSchooler image, The Indianapolis Star]
