Joe DiMaggio Dead At 84
Baseball legend Joe DiMaggio died at his home early Monday morning, shortly after midnight, according to Morris Engelberg, DiMaggio's longtime friend and attorney. DiMaggio, 84, underwent lung cancer surgery in October and battled a series of complications for weeks afterward.
At his bedside were his brother, Dominick; two grandchildren; Joe Nacchio, his friend for 59 years; and Engelberg.
Engelberg says DiMaggio's body will be flown to northern California for burial in his hometown of San Francisco.
Joltin' Joe, as he was known, played for the New York Yankees from 1936 to 1951, following in the footsteps of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Observers of DiMaggio said he was one of the most graceful players ever to field and hit a baseball.
In 1941, he set an all-time major league hitting streak in 56 consecutive games. He played on nine World Series champion teams and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player three times.
"I always could hit that ball pretty good, and I ran sort of halfway decent, so that's what started me out in this game."
Correspondent Harry Smith reports that DiMaggio was the complete baseball player. At the plate, he was a dominant hitter who stroked the ball with power and precision. In the field, he covered the biggest part of Yankee Stadium with speed and grace.
"I used to love to play the game, to be out there in the wind, to help the ball club... That's, after all, what were we playing for. Not because we only like it and we played it for a living; we played to win."
DiMaggio's lifetime average was .325. But it just wasn't his style to brag, reports Smith. DiMaggio was the strong silent type - so painfully shy it was said he led the league in room service.
Although he was a quiet man, DiMaggio was no stranger to New York nightlife. He sent female hearts aflutter. And when he married screen siren Marilyn Monroe, the bobby soxers wept. Although the marriage was short-lived, Monroe's death left him shattered. It was the only subject reporters were warned never to ask him about.
In 1949, DiMaggio became the first baseball player to earn $100,000 a year. Yet it seemed DiMaggio was forever fighting with the Yankee front office over salary. Fans roundly booed him for holding out - until his heroic performances on the field once again won their respect.
He retired from baseball in 1951 and was named to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1955.
In his later years, DiMaggio forged another career as a pitchman for coffee makers and savings banks. But, when he showed up in the Bronx for Yankee old-timer games and an occasional opening day, he was showered with cheers of adulation. And even his chief rival, Hall of Famer Ted Williams, said DiMaggio was the greatest player he'd ever seen.
President Clinton extended his thoughts and prayers to DiMaggio's family and said, "He became the very symbol of American grace, power and skill Â… I have no doubt that when futue generations look back at the best of America in the 20th century, they will think of the 'Yankee Clipper' and all that he achieved."