Billy Bean, One of MLB's First Openly Gay Players, Dies at 60 From Leukemia

Following a year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, former Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres outfielder Billy Bean died on Tuesday.

Aug 13, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; VP Social Responsibilty and Inclusion MLB's Office of the Commissioner Billy Bean addresses the media prior to the first pride night in NY sports league history prior to the game between the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres at Citi Field. / Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Billy Bean, MLB's Senior Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, died at the age of 60 on Tuesday.

Bean, who was also Special Assistant to commissioner Rob Manfred, had been battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia for the past year. He spent the past decade working with teams on player education, LGBTQ inclusion and social justice initiatives.

Not to be confused with longtime Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, Bean was a trailblazer as both a player and executive.

The Detroit Tigers selected Bean out of LMU in the fourth round of the 1986 MLB Draft. He made it to the big leagues in 1987, was actually teammates with Beane in 1988, and was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1989.

Following two seasons buried in the minors, Bean joined the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. That reignited Bean's career, as he was able to return stateside and play for the San Diego Padres from 1993 to 1995.

Tragedy struck when Bean's partner, Sam, died of HIV-related causes in 1995. Bean then came out to his parents as gay in 1996, and he came out publicly in 1999.

Bean was only the second MLB player ever to publicly come out as gay, following in the footsteps of Dodgers and Athletics outfielder Glenn Burke, who played from 1976 to 1979.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Billy Bean, MLB’s Senior VP for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner. Billy, who fought a heroic year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, was 60.

Over the last 10 years,… pic.twitter.com/dCfFM6hQlE

— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2024

Bean appeared in 148 MLB games across six seasons, racking up 66 hits, three home runs, 29 RBI and five stolen bases. He posted a .219 batting average, .542 OPS and -1.6 WAR before retiring.

The impact Bean made off the field was perhaps more notable, though, providing unprecedented counsel and guidance throughout every level of the sport. Manfred and Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo were among those to express their grief on social media Tuesday evening.

“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," 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. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Billy’s husband, Greg Baker, and their entire family.”

We are devasted by this news and join the entire baseball family in mourning the loss of Billy Bean.

Torey's longtime friendship with Billy brought him closer to all of us in Arizona and our thoughts are with all of Billy's loved ones at this time. https://t.co/LuRaW1XkAU pic.twitter.com/1d5Hw7v2j3

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 6, 2024

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