Hall of Famer Hank Aaron dies at 86
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A cause of death was not announced.
The Hall of Fame outfielder and one-time home run king passed away Friday morning.
Aaron was a native of Alabama whose career began in the Negro Leagues, but quickly took him to the Majors, where he landed with the Milwaukee Braves.
He soon made his mark as one of the most dangerous power hitters in baseball.
Aaron finished his career with a record 755 homers, a stat so impressive it has been bested by only one player, Barry Bonds, who finished his career with 762 – though that record has come under a cloud of steroid-use allegations.
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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.