New England Patriots superfan Shelly Sepulveda has died just weeks after the team gave her tickets to Super Bowl LX.<\/p>\n
Sepulveda died of ovarian cancer at 1:51 a.m. on Monday, January 26, mere hours after the Patriots clinched a spot in Super Bowl LX<\/a>. The Patriots will play the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, California, on February 8.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe was a devoted wife to her wife, Tami, and an incredible mom to six wonderful kids who were the center of her world,\u201d Sepulveda\u2019s GoFundMe<\/a> page said. \u201cShelly was deeply loved, and her loss has left an unimaginable hole in her family and in everyone who knew her.\u201d<\/p>\n Shelly was gifted tickets to Super Bowl 60 by Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, on the field at Foxborough\u2019s Gillette Stadium during New England\u2019s Wild Card playoff round victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on January 11.\u00a0<\/p>\n Patriots QB Drake Maye Called Out for His Body Language With Wife Ann After AFC Title Win<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I\u2019m here, I don\u2019t think about cancer, I watch the Patriots,\u201d Shelly told Kraft, 84, at the game, according to Boston 25 News<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shelly, a former NICU nurse, and Tami fostered more than 20 kids whose parents or caregivers were dealing with substance abuse issues, eventually adopting five. The couple, who had been together more than 23 years, also share a biological son, Sam.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to Tami\u2019s Facebook page, Shelly was hospitalized again on January 17 with \u201clow blood counts.\u201d<\/p>\n Shelly was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a constant battle, and it is survivorship and fighting for my life,\u201d Shelly told Boston 25 News<\/a> in January 2025. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people going through cancer that don\u2019t have the support. And I do, and I\u2019m lucky. I\u2019m lucky I have the friends and family I have.\u201d<\/p>\n She added, \u201cI\u2019m not a quitter, and I don\u2019t want my kids to think I\u2019m a quitter. But I want them to know it\u2019s also okay for them to ask for help.\u201d<\/p>\n Shelly\u2019s children also shared their emotional reactions to their mother\u2019s cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Mom came home told us she had cancer, she was crying,\u201d Shelly\u2019s daughter Tyler, 16, told Boston 25 News. \u201cI was thinking, \u2018What did she do to deserve this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n