STARKVILLE — Eddie B. Rice, the mother of former NFL great Jerry Rice, has died.
She was 77.
Rice died at a Jackson hospital on Christmas Day. The cause of death was not released.
Jerry Rice wrote about his mother’s death on Twitter, saying, “Thank u all for the condolences on my mother. Much appreciated.”
West Funeral Home in Starkville said funeral services were set for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Pine Grove Missionary Baptist Church in the Oktoc community of Oktibbeha County.
Eddie B. Rice was born in Starkville, one of 16 children.
The funeral home obituary says she is survived by three daughters and six sons. One of those sons — Jerry Rice — played professional football with the San Francisco 49ers from 1985 to 2000. He retired in 2004 after stints with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. Today, he is in the NFL Hall of Fame and is the NFL’s all-time leader in catches, yards and touchdown receptions.
His playing days began at B.L. Moor High School, which is now East Oktibbeha County High School. He played college football at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena.
Eddie B. Rice’s daughters were listed as Eddie Dean Harris, Loistine Baker and Henrietta Jones, all of Starkville. Her sons include the Rev. Joe Nathan Rice Jr., of Starkville; Tom Rice, of Jackson; James L. Rice, of Crawford; the Rev. Jimmy L. Rice, of Starkville; Jerry Rice, of San Francisco; and Zebedee Rice, of Starkville.
Dispatch managing editor William Browning contributed to this report.
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