Baseball World, Celebrities React to Willie Mays’ Death

The death of Willie Mays on Tuesday at 93 elicited the kind of tributes rarely afforded a professional athlete. Mays was no ordinary athlete.

Read more: Willie Mays Dies at 93; Was Baseball’s Oldest Living Hall of Famer

According to the San Francisco Giants, with whom Mays played the bulk of his Hall of Fame career, he received honorary degrees from Dartmouth, Miles College, Ohio State University, San Francisco State, and Yale University. The Sporting News ranked Mays second only to Babe Ruth among the 100 greatest baseball players of the 20th century. ESPN listed him eighth in its ranking of the top 50 athletes of the century.

Against the backdrop of such widespread fame and acclaim, perhaps it’s no surprise that Mays’ death elicited reactions from a variety of celebrities inside and outside the world of sports on Tuesday.

Former CCR lead singer/guitarist John Fogerty is a noted baseball fan who’s demographically perfect to appreciate the prime of Mays’ career. He was 12 years old and living in the Bay Area when Mays’ New York Giants moved west to San Francisco.

Naturally, Fogerty was among the musicians who weighed in with an appreciation for Mays’ life on his Twitter/X account:

Actor/director Billy Crystal is famous for directing the acclaimed baseball film 61* and is a noted New York Yankees fan. He weighed in on Twitter/X as well, showing off a signed piece of Mays memorabilia from his collection:

Rapper Chuck D is also a huge baseball fan, and also has a deep knowledge of African-American history and Mays’ role in the integration of baseball as one of the game’s first Black stars:

Mays’ appreciation from President Barack Obama extends beyond the Medal of Freedom Obama bestowed on Mays in 2015. Naturally, Obama was among the most prominent public figures to weigh in on Mays’ death:

Obama wasn’t the only former president who appreciated Mays, as Bill Clinton weighed in with his own tribute statement on Twitter/X:

A former Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, also shared his deep appreciation for Mays’ life and career:

Former New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians, and Milwaukee Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia grew up in the Bay Area city of Vallejo. He revealed his appreciation for Mays in a social media post, as well:

Former New York Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams, now a professional musician, weighed in with his words of respect for Mays too:

Mays is being honored across Major League Baseball on Wednesday with moments of silence prior to each game.