India, May 13 -- Jason Collins, former NBA player and the first openly gay hooper to play in the league, passed away Tuesday after a battle with a brain tumor, his family announced in a statement. He was only 47.

Collins, who played 13 seasons in the NBA playing for various teams, had revealed in an ESPN article that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 Glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer with extremely low survival rate.

"We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma," the statement from his family read.

Given that his family confirmed the death of the 47-year-old former basketball center, it sparked a lot of interest in his family life. In ...