Billy Bean has passed away of leukemia at the age of 60. The gay former MLB player and league executive leaves behind his husband, Greg, whom we are keeping in our thoughts.
He also leaves behind a family of people who have worked alongside him to build LGBTQ-inclusive spaces where he once thought he was not welcome as a gay man while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the 1980s and ’90s.
Bean had a powerful effect on the lives of countless people, not just in baseball but across the sports world.
Now so many of them are publicly sharing their thoughts on the man who helped forge a path for LGBTQ inclusion initiatives across MLB.
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Major League Baseball issued a powerful public statement of love for the work Bean did in and around the league:
The MLB Players Association also shared love:
Loyola Marymount University, where Bean played college baseball, shared condolences as well:
People across the LGBTQ sports movement shared nothing but love for Bean and the work he did to embrace LGBTQ athletes, coaches and executives, and support them on their personal journeys.
UCLA softball coach Kirk Walker, one of Bean’s best friends:
Gay high school basketball coach and athletic director Anthony Nicodemo:
Former NFL player R.K. Russell:
San Francisco Chronicle sports editor Christina Kahrl:
Conner Mertens, the first active college football player to come out publicly:
The love for Bean included people outside the LGBTQ community who appreciated his love for the sport, as well as his advocacy for gay athletes:
Various MLB teams also shared their reflections on Bean’s life and the impact he had on them:
Many other MLB teams also shared their loving thoughts of Bean and the work he did on behalf of the LGBTQ community.
