Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated
Baseball lost one of its greatest legends with the death of Hall of Famer and Braves legend Hank Aaron at age 86.
Additional details on his death are not known at this time. We are absolutely devastated by the passing of our beloved Hank. He was a beacon for our organization first as a player, then with player development, and always with our community efforts. His incredible talent and resolve helped him achieve the highest accomplishments yet he never lost his humble nature, Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said in a statement. Hank Aaron is near the top of everyone s list of all-time great players. His monumental achievements as a player were surpassed only by his dignity and integrity as a person, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said.
Atlanta Braves legend Henry Hank Aaron dead at 86
By Cody Chaffins and FOX 5 Digital Team
Published
The Braves legend and home run king passed away Friday morning.
ATLANTA - Atlanta Braves legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron has died Friday at the age of 86, FOX 5 has confirmed.
The home run king, who accomplished a massive amount of achievements both on and off the field, died peacefully in his sleep, the Braves said in a release.
Henry Louis Aaron was born Feb. 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama to his parents Herbert and Estella Aaron. He headed a long list of outstanding players who came from that Gulf Coast city Satchel Paige, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams and Ozzie Smith among them.
At what should have been the pinnacle of his long career in baseball, Henry Aaron was getting bags of hate mail many containing death threats and living in a storage room at the stadium, accompanied by bodyguards when he ventured out.
It was 1973, the country remained divided along racial lines and Aaron, a Black American playing for the Atlanta Braves, was closing in on Babe Ruth’s holy career record of 714 home runs. To some, it was sacrilegious that a Black man would threaten the record of the immortal Babe.
Aaron eventually tied, then surpassed Ruth’s record, finishing his remarkable 23-year career with 755 homers. Even at that, he felt shortchanged.
Hank Aaron s lasting impact is measured in more than home runs
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Howard Bryant shares lasting memories of Hank Aaron (3:00)
Howard Bryant reflects on the moments he shared with Hank Aaron while writing a biography of the Hall of Famer. (3:00)
Author of The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron
Author of Juicing the Game
Henry Aaron, who rose up from the depths of Southern poverty to become one of the towering figures in baseball history as well as a bittersweet symbol of both American racial intolerance and triumph, has died. He was 86.
When he retired in 1976 after a 23-year major league career with the National League Braves (spending 1954 to 1965 in Milwaukee, 1966-74 in Atlanta) before playing his final two seasons with the American League Milwaukee Brewers, Aaron had amassed staggering offensive numbers, holding the career records for most home runs (755), RBIs (2,297), total bases (6,856), games played (3,298), at-bats (12,364) and plate appearances (13,941). He was se
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(Reuters) - Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, the quiet, unassuming slugger who broke Babe Ruth’s supposedly unbreakable record for most home runs in a career and battled racism in the process, died on Friday, the Atlanta Braves announced. He was 86.
Aaron joined the Braves management to become one of the few African-Americans in a baseball executive position after retiring as a player in 1976 with 755 career home runs, a record unmatched for more than three decades. Aaron died “peacefully in his sleep,” the Braves said in a statement.
His hitting prowess earned him the nickname “Hammerin’ Hank,” and his power was attributed to strong wrists. He was somewhat shy and lacked the flair of contemporaries Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle.