Sarah Palin has said that her heart is shattered following the death of her boyfriend Ron Duguay, who died from colon cancer at the age of 69.

The former governor of Alaska shared the devastating news on Thursday in an emotional social media post that read: ‘It is with a shattered heart, but also deep peace knowing Ron is with Jesus now. He fought so hard. Love never ends.’

Duguay, an NHL legend, was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in December 2024, and the disease later spread to his liver.

Palin started dating Duguay in 2022 and fell madly in love with the sportsman after years of heartbreak following the breakdown of her first marriage to her childhood sweetheart, Todd Palin.

She was with Duguay every step of the way during his battle with cancer, posting incredibly candidly about her love and support for him.

On Monday, she asked the public to pray for Duguay in an emotional post that showed her at his bedside in the hospital. He died just three days later.

The former New York Rangers star was also very vocal about how grateful he was for Palin, who shares five children with her ex-husband.

In March, he shared a selfie of the pair as he donned a hospital gown and cap.

‘@SarahPalinUSA was with me during my most difficult time, sleeping next to me in a chair for 5 days while i was recovering,’ Duguay wrote.

His daughter, Shay Thomas, often joined him during his appointments and treatments as well.

And just a little over a month ago, on September 6, he shared a heartwarming photo of him with Shay and his ex-wife Robin Bobo.

‘Reunited with my ex wife Robin and daughter @ShayThomas_,’ Duguay posted.

And in December 2024 Duguay posted a video of him and Palin hooked up to ‘duel IV immunity treatment’ as a way to bring in the new year.

He smiled widely as he flipped the camera to show Palin scrolling on her phone as she smiled too.

Another post, shared by Palin, showed Duguay on the bench as he donned a New York Rangers Jersey. Other iconic hockey players also appeared in the clip.

‘These beauties skilled enforcers OG. @RonDuguay10 with nothing but love for teammates, rivals & the sport itself #loyalty #nhl #hockey,’ Palin captioned the post.

In 2022, Palin shared her love for Duguay after the pair first kicked off their romantic relationship.

She told The New York Post that after her 2020 divorce from her ex-husband, Todd Palin, the Republican hadn’t really thought about getting back out there.

But then she called up Duguay to see if he would help show her around New York City as she geared up to take on The New York Times in court.

According to Palin, the outlet falsely claimed in a 2017 op-ed that her political rhetoric led to a 2011 mass shooting in Arizona. A Manhattan federal judge found the NYT not liable for defaming her in April 2025.

While getting a tour of the Big Apple by her then-friend, Palin and Duguay soon connected on a deeper level.

‘Ron is the first person that I’ve ever even talked to about a lot of this personal stuff,’ she told the Post in 2022.

‘So it’s been helpful and refreshing to have Ron to talk to about not just politics, because he’s got more common sense in his little finger than the collective in DC, but just about life.’

Duguay also attended court with Palin during the trial for her case against The New York Times.

During the interview, Palin shared what she admired most about her boyfriend.

‘He is French Canadian by birth but he has been here for decades. In a lot of ways he is more patriotic, more pro-America, more pro-freedom than a lot of people I know, and that includes a lot of politicians serving America,’ she stated.

She also noted his good looks, calling Duguay ‘really handsome.’

Duguay played 12 seasons in the NHL for the New York Rangers, the Detroit Red Wings, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Los Angeles Kings.

He married his ex-wife, Bobo, in December 1983, and they share two daughters.

The hockey star then went on to wed fashion model Kim Alexis and moved to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. They divorced in 2016.

Duguay’s family announced his diagnosis back in February, setting up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds to support his treatment.

‘Because of his cancer, he hasn’t been able to work the way he normally would,’ his daughter wrote on the fundraising page.

‘Earlier in his treatment journey, the care he received in Florida nearly cost him his life. That led us to bring him to Orange County, where my sister and I live, so he could receive treatment here.’

Duguay was rushed to the hospital in July after being found unconscious at home following a fall that left him with severe facial injuries.

The hockey icon fainted at his residence on July 24 before being transported by ambulance to a nearby medical facility.

Extensive medical testing revealed severe underlying complications tied to his ongoing cancer battle, including varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, internal bleeding and an ulcer.

His daughter Shay revealed at the time that the cancer in his liver – combined with the physical toll of surgery, chemotherapy, and a hepatic pump – caused severe pressure to build up inside the organ, backing up into his stomach and causing internal bleeding.

Before her relationship with Duguay, Palin was married to Todd for 31 years.

She and Todd, who were high school sweethearts, share five children together – Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig.

Their relationship was hit with scandals over the years, including when Palin was accused of having an alleged affair while married to Todd.

In the book The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin, author Joe McGinniss said that Palin had an alleged one-night stand with college basketball star Glen Rice while she was working as a sports reporter in Anchorage, Alaska.

That same book also accused her of having a six-month-long affair with Brad Hanson, Todd’s former business partner, in the 1990s.

Both Palin and her ex-husband have denied the extramarital affair claims. Hanson also said the claims were false.