Forrest Gregg

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Forrest Gregg, the Hall of Fame lineman for the mighty Green Bay Packers of the 1960s that Vince Lombardi called the “finest player I ever coached,” died Friday at age 85.

Barbara Gregg said her husband of 59 years died in Colorado Springs from complications of Parkinson’s disease.

“I lost my sweetheart this morning,” she said. “It’s awful. He died in my arms.”

She said that in the last two weeks her husband received a constant flow of calls from former teammates and players telling him he’d made such a big difference in their lives.

She said the funeral will be sometime next week in Colorado Springs and open to the public.

Gregg, who earned the nickname “Iron Man” for playing in a then-record 188 consecutive games during his career, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in October 2011. He quickly embarked on a campaign to raise public awareness about the incurable disease, urging others to seek treatment early enough to delay the degenerative effects on both the mind and body.