Baseball Hall of Famer Henry 'Hank' Aaron, who once held Major League Baseball's record for most career homes runs, has died aged 86.
Aaron, who earned a permanent place in baseball folklore when he surpassed Babe Ruth on the all-time home runs list, died on Friday, according to a WSB-TV Atlanta 2 report that sourced his daughter.
Aaron retired in 1976 with 755 home runs, a record that stood until Barry Bonds broke it in 2007.
Aaron began his career in the Negro Leagues in 1951 with the Indianapolis Clowns, before the Atlanta Braves picked up his contract. He made his MLB debut in 1954 and spent the next 21 seasons with the Braves before ending his career with the Milwaukee Brewers (1975-76).
Aaron was in the news two weeks ago when he publicly received the first dose of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine with his wife Billye, with the aim of easing doubts about the vaccine.
"I feel quite proud of myself for doing something like this," said Aaron at the time. "It's just a small thing that can help zillions of people in this country."
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) January 22, 2021
Aaron was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1982. Both the Braves and Brewers retired his No 44 jersey.
On 8 April, 1974, Aaron hit his 715th home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing to break Babe Ruth's long-standing record.
A 25-time All-Star and the 1957 National League MVP, Aaron also won three Gold Gloves and still holds the all-time records for RBIs (2,297) and total bases(6,856). He ranks second in homers, third in hits (3,771) and fourth in runs scored (2,174).
