Billy Bean, Ambassador of Inclusion, MLB moderates a panel discussion during the 2015 Sports Diversity & Inclusion Symposium at Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, Calif. - Billy Bean, who became the second former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay, has died.
Bean, the league’s Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, died uesday after an 11-month battle with acute myeloid leukemia, according to the MLB.
Bean, who was diagnosed last September, was 60 years old.
"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," 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. He made baseball a better institution, both on and off the field, by the power of his example, his empathy, his communication skills, his deep relationships inside and outside our sport, and his commitment to doing the right thing. We are forever grateful for the enduring impact that Billy made on the game he loved, and we will never forget him.
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A native of Santa Ana, California, Bean was the only living openly gay Major League player (current or former), having come out in 1999, according to the MLB.
In 2014, Bean was hired as an ambassador of inclusion – the first role of its kind in baseball.
Eventually, he became senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion.
He started his career in 1987 as an outfielder, after playing for the Tigers, Dodgers and Padres.
The MLB noted that retiring at age 31 in 1995 wasn't easy for Bean, but "he decided that living as a closeted baseball player was untenable, and he believed that neither he nor the game was ready for an openly gay player," according to the MLB.
Bean should not be confused with longtime former Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, (whose last name is spelled with an e), and whose methods of hiring players inspired the Michael Lewis book and movie, "Moneyball."
Bean is survived by his husband, Greg Baker.