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Associated Press
WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Johnnie Bettis, the father of retired NFL running back Jerome Bettis, died Tuesday at a suburban Detroit hospital, police said.
Johnnie Bettis, 61, of Detroit, apparently suffered a heart attack while driving in a suburb north of the city, police Lt. Carl Fuhs said.
Bettis managed to pull his sport utility vehicle off the road and bring it to a stop. Another motorist stopped and administered CPR, and a passing nurse and physician also stopped to help, Fuhs said.
Bettis was taken to Huron Valley Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:58 p.m., hospital spokeswoman Annessa Carlisle said. She said she did not know the cause of death or whether an autopsy would be performed.
Fuhs said he notified Jerome Bettis' wife that the player's father had died. Family members were arriving at the hospital Tuesday evening, Carlisle said.
Jerome Bettis retired after helping the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks in last season's Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit. He is now a studio analyst for Sunday night football games on NBC.
Jerome Bettis starred at Notre Dame before being drafted in the first round, 10th overall, by the then-Los Angeles Rams in 1993. He played three seasons for the Rams after the franchise moved to St. Louis and joined the Steelers in 1996.