Funeral services were held Friday morning for Hall of Fame Chicago Cubs slugger and second baseman Ryne Sandberg. 

Sandberg, 65, died on July 28, following his battle with prostate cancer. 

The Cubs honored Sandberg with a public tribute at Wrigley Field, with fans watching a private funeral service for him on the Gallagher Way video board. 

Family, friends, teammates, and Mayor Brandon Johnson were among those in attendance for the service at Old St. Patrick's Church. 

Speakers, including sportscaster Bob Costas and friend Jimmy Turner, spoke about what baseball meant to Sandberg and what he meant to the game.

Costas referred to Sandberg as the original number 23 before Michael Jordan.

"In addition to the all-American boy appeal, what endeared him, what endeared him to fans and earned him universal respect within the game wasn't just what he did, but the way he did it. He was a flawless all-around player, talented and fundamentally sound. The kind of player any to and say, that's the way you play the game, the way he approached the game, the way he played was a result of who he was, and when his time at Cooperstown came, Ryne sandberg usually quiet and reserved, made a strong point about himself and his regard for the game. Thank you, Ryne. Thank you for the great and abiding friendship. Just as baseball will never forget you, we will never forget you, and we will always honor your memory," Costas said.

"As always, you competed with humility, dignity, and grace. And another game awaits you on your field of dreams. Harry, Josh, Dallas, and Jim will be there to greet you on the other side of the corn, and you will be truly elated. They say to take every day as if it were your last. Knowing him and losing him so young will help me truly understand that now. He was the kindest, most gentle, compassionate man I have ever known. I loved him, and he will always be alive in me and all of us here today. Two, three, two soon," Turner said.

Sandberg's daughter, Lindsey Newton, summed up her dedication to her father by saying, "Thank you."

"Thank you for teaching me to love, to laugh, to compete, to be honest, to be loyal, and of course, be respectful. Thank you for all your wisdom that will forever influence me, and your love and support. But above all, thank you for just being my dad. I love you always and will miss you forever. your daughter, your heart, your Lens," she said.

Sandberg's son, Justin, recalled some of the memories he shared with Ryne. He told those in attendance that when they laugh, Ryne will be there laughing with them.

"The stories from our adventures are endless, and for that I am forever grateful. I will miss having him," Justin said. "As I look out at all of you, I know you have your own stories and memories with him, and I want you to know he cherished those, too. Continue to share them. Continue to laugh. He told me when we laugh. When you laugh, just when we all laugh, I'll be there laughing with you. Dad, I love you."

Sandberg's teammates, including Gary Matthews, said they felt like they fought cancer with him.

"A true hero and obviously meant a lot to a lot of people," he said.

"You don't have to speak all the time and brag. He just led by example, and everybody loved him towards the end, which is nice. Shawon Dunston said. "He never spoke much, just led by example by telling you, you don't have to be a hotdog, just go out there and play, and people will know you."

Fans gathered at Wrigley's Gallagher Way to pay respects to Sandberg

Members of the Sandberg fan club made their way to Gallagher Way just outside Wrigley to honor him together, with the funeral streamed live on the videoboard.

Honoring  "Ryno" was a must for a generation of Cubs fans, who wanted to pay tribute to the legendary star, whom many said was their favorite player. Fans were also encouraged to leave tributes to Sandburg at his iconic statue, with the number 23 standing tall and rows of flowers around it.

The cubs also displayed Sandberg's personal collection of memorabilia, including multiple generations of his jersey, which the team said will now be a part of the Wrigley Field archives.

Among the fans is the Gonzalez family, who showed up to Gallagher Way hours early to be the first waiting to get into the square. Willie Gonzalez sports a "Ryno" tattoo on his arm. His dog is appropriately named Ryno Wrigley.

He shared how he would also look for Ryno when he came to Wrigley for games, and how important it was for him to get a picture with the legend one early-season Cubs' game

"Anytime I came to the Cubs game, it was one of those things where I always thought about running into Ryne Sandberg," Willie said. "It was just one of those things, every day was a possibility, and now it's kinda not, right, so this kinda like the last time I'll feel like I'll run into him, right, so it kinda memorializes it and a little bit of a closure."

"I was a big fan, I loved watching him play baseball," Michelle said. "I still remember back in '84 watching the Sandberg game on the TV. He will be missed, definitely."

Fellow fan Laticia Alecia said she's been coming to Wrigley with her dad every year since she was 14 years old. She took off from work at a local hospital to be alongside those who feel the same way she does about Sandberg—giving one last goodbye to the man she calls "Mr. Baseball."

"Rynne is baseball," Alieca said. "He is what baseball should be, not the fancy stuff, not the flashy players, being bougie, he actually played baseball."

Cubs' chairman Tom Ricketts said Sandberg will be remembered as "one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise."

Brief history of Ryne Sandberg's MLB career

A 10-time All-Star, Sandberg was also the National League MVP in 1984 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. 

Sandberg played in parts of 16 big-league seasons, almost entirely with the Cubs. 

Sandberg was born Sept. 18, 1959, in Spokane, Washington. He was the youngest of four children of Derwent "Sandy" Sandberg, a mortician, and Elizabeth "Libby" Sandberg, a nurse, according to the Society for American Baseball Research.