Hall of Fame catcher and New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra died Tuesday at age 90, the Yogi Berra Museum announced and the Yankees and MLB confirmed.
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Yogi Berra passed away Tuesday night at the age of 90. #YogiBerra pic.twitter.com/0BSctBzhTb
— Yogi Berra Museum (@Yogi_Museum) September 23, 2015
Berra's family released a statement through the museum, saying that while they were mourning "our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, we know he is at peace with Mom. We celebrate his remarkable life, and are thankful he meant so much to so many. He will truly be missed."
Considered one of the greatest catchers of all time, Berra was a three-time AL MVP who became at least as well-known for his unusual sayings as his Hall of Fame career.
Among his more famous Yogi-isms, as they became known:
- "It ain't over till it's over"
- "Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical."
- "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
60 Minutes looked into his Yogi-sms back in 2002:
He appeared in 14 World Series for the Yankees during their dynasty era, the first in 1947, and won the first of his three MVPs in 1951 (the others came 1954 and 1955). He was an 18-time All-Star, who played alongside Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, and caught Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 Series.
He was enshrined in Cooperstown in 1972. He remains the all-time leader among catchers in RBI, and is fourth in runs scored and home runs.
Berra also managed in the majors, compiling a .522 winning percentage in seven seasons piloting the Yankees (1964, 1984 and part of 1985) and Mets (1972-75). He managed both teams to the World Series.
Just as his playing career was dawning in 1943 at age 18, Berra joined the World War II effort by signing up with the Navy. He took part in the invasion of Normandy in 1944 and, two months later, Berra was wounded in battle during an operation on Marseilles in France, for which he earned a Purple Heart.
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra got his nickname as a teenager from a teammate in American Legion ball who -- after seeing a movie -- thought he resembled a person who practiced yoga.
After the appearance of Yogi Bear in 1958, Berra reportedly tried to sue Hanna-Barbera for defamation of character before withdrawing his complaint. Because Berra was widely famous by that time not only for playing ball, but also in popular culture for his Yogi-isms, few believed Hanna-Barbera's contention that it was a coincidence.
>> More details at CBSNews.com
