ST. LOUIS – You may remember Octavio Dotel from his time with the Cardinals, playing for a record 13 teams in the majors, but in 2011, he found himself on a championship team in St. Louis.

The veteran right-hander joined the team midway through the season and quickly became a bullpen hero. Dotel threw scoreless frames in the NLDS, NLCS, and World Series, all helping deliver the Cardinals’ unforgettable 11th World Championship.

“I’m really sad about Dotel. He was an excellent relief pitcher that year and they won the world series so it’s hard to believe that he would die under those circumstances,” Rob Koenig, a Cardinals fan, shared.

A video shows the aftermath of a nightclub collapse at Jet Set in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. 

A popular singer was mid-performance just after midnight when the roof came crashing down. Dotel was among the dozens killed.

“It’s a shocker. He was only 51 Dotel was only 51 and when I saw it, I was like wow, he was just on the Cardinals team not that long ago it doesn’t seem that long ago so to hear of his tragic death it really shocked me,” Larry Young, another Cardinals fan, said.

The death toll now stands at 58; more than 160 others are injured. The Cardinals posted online they are “heartbroken” to learn of Dotel’s death.

And former teammate Yadier Molina shared this tribute on social media, translated from Spanish. “Brother, there is a deep pain in my soul. Thank you for being a friend, and a brother, one of the good ones. I’ll always remember you brother and the moments we spent together. Thank you for everything, leader. We lost a happy soul. Rest in peace, soul brother.”

The cause of the roof collapse is under investigation.

“Thoughts and prayers to his family and also to the Cardinals family because once you’re a Cardinal, you’re always a Cardinal,” Young concluded.