Billy Bean, second openly gay ex-MLB player, dies at 60
Billy Bean, who became the second former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay and became the sport’s senior vice president for DEI has died at 60.
Billy Bean, who became the second former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay in 1999 before becoming the sport’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, has died. He was 60.
MLB released a statement confirming his death. Bean died at home on Tuesday after a yearlong fight with acute myeloid leukemia.
Players pause for a moment of silence in memory of Billy Bean in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday.Lachlan Cunningham / Getty ImagesThe 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” and was also a keynote speaker at many events. He publicly came out as gay in 1999, the second former major leaguer to do so after Glenn Burke.
Bean joined the commissioner’s office in 2014, when he was hired by former Commissioner Bud Selig to be MLB’s first Ambassador for Inclusion. He spent more than 10 years working for MLB, eventually being promoted to senior vice president.
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