Chris Donley, the Minnesota Vikings fan featured in Sunday’s Pioneer Press, died at his Fridley home early Thursday morning.

Diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma, the lifelong Vikings fan was treated to an unforgettable day for him and his family when Pro Football Hall of Fame guard Randall McDaniel and his wife arranged for them to attend the team’s practice Aug. 27 at Winter Park.

With his wife Pam and youngest son Cory by his side, Donley took his final breath around 3 a.m. Thursday. He was 57.

“We’re thankful for all the friends and family who have reached out to us,” said Ryan Donley, Chris’ oldest son. “It’s been amazing to have such a terrible experience you go through but then to be supported by people, some you don’t even know. It’s uplifting to know that so many people care.

“It makes everything just a little bit easier.”

A Vikings season-ticket holder for 35 years, Chris Donley grew up in Minneapolis and worked for different trucking companies, most recently Old Dominion Freight Line in Blaine. Donley initially was diagnosed with renal kidney failure on Sept. 12, 2012.

With his father’s health failing, Ryan wrote a letter that he read to his father Wednesday night, with his mother and brother in the room. Chris hadn’t been responsive in recent days, but Ryan said his father opened his eyes and listened to his 10-minute tribute to him.

“I got some closure,” Ryan said. “It was nice to all be there as a family.”