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FILE - In this Feb. 26, 1967, file photo, Mario Andretti, of Nazareth, Pa., holds up his trophies with his wife, Dee Ann, after he won the Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona Beach, Fla. Dee Ann died Tuesday, July 3, 2018. She was 76.
AP photoDee Ann Andretti, the wife of famed driver Mario Andretti and matriarch of one of the most prominent families in motorsports, has died. She was 76.
Andretti died Tuesday, a few weeks after suffering a heart attack. Grandson Marco Andretti announced her death on social media , posting: "RIP Grammy Andretti. You will be missed." The IndyCar Series later confirmed her death.
Mario Andretti and Dee Ann Hoch met while she was teaching English to the Italy-born Andretti in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. They were married a few months later, in November 1961.
Dee Ann Andretti mostly stayed in the background and raised their three children while her husband became one of the world's most successful race car drivers.
She is survived by her husband, sons Michael and Jeff, daughter Barbie Dee and seven grandchildren.
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