Billy Bean, who became the second former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay, has died at the age of 60 from leukemia.
Bean came out in 1999, a few years after his playing career ended, and he went on to become MLB’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion.
MLB released a statement confirming his death. Bean died at home on Tuesday after a yearlong fight with acute myeloid leukemia.
“Our hearts are broken today as we mourn our dear friend and colleague, Billy Bean, one of the kindest and most respected individuals I have ever known,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Billy was a friend to countless people across our game, and he made a difference through his constant dedication to others.”
The California native played in six big league seasons from 1987 to 1995, making his debut with the Detroit Tigers in a four-hit performance that tied a record for a player in his first game. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. He was a two-time All-American outfielder at Loyola Marymount, leading the team to the NCAA Men’s College World Series in 1986.
Bean wrote a book titled Going the Other Way: Lessons from a Life in and Out of Major-League Baseball and was also a keynote speaker at many events. He publicly came out in 1999, the second former major leaguer to do so after Glenn Burke.
He later told the Miami Herald that many of his former teammates were supportive after he came out.
“When I talked to people like Brad [Ausmus] or Trevor Hoffman, it wasn’t like, ‘I can’t believe you told everybody – what exactly do you do in bed?’ It was like, ‘Next time you’re back on the West Coast, let’s go surfing again.’”
Bean joined the commissioner’s office in 2014, when he was hired to be MLB’s first Ambassador for Inclusion. He spent more than 10 years working for MLB, eventually being promoted to senior vice president.
Bean worked with MLB clubs to “advance equality for all players, coaches, managers, umpires, employees, and stakeholders throughout baseball to ensure an equitable, inclusive, and supportive workplace for everyone.”
Bean is survived by his husband, Greg Baker.
