It was always "Mister Aaron."
"Mister" is not an honorific used lightly. But for a man as revered as Henry Louis Aaron, it was a natural fit. Last month, after he was presented with the Hank Aaron Award by the man himself in a virtual ceremony, Freddie Freeman - who had undoubtedly met him many times in Atlanta - almost seemed in awe.
"Thank you, Mr. Aaron, very much," a visibly moved Freeman said.
That exchange was the essence of Aaron, a baseball icon who died Friday at age 86. He was more than just a baseball player - he was a man so respected even the biggest stars found themselves at a loss for words around him.