Billy Bean, Former MLB Player and Executive, Has Died at 60 — What Happened?
Billy Bean was MLB's senior vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Published Aug. 7 2024, 7:11 a.m. ET
On Aug. 6, 2024, MLB shared on Twitter that former player and vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Billy Bean had died. He was 60 years old. Over the course of his baseball career, he played for three different teams, and he became a trailblazer for LGBTQ rights as the second openly gay player in MLB. But what was Billy Bean's cause of death?
When Bean's death was announced on Twitter, the statement from the MLB shared that Bean "worked passionately and tirelessly" for "player education, LGBTQ inclusion, and social justice initiatives to advance equality in the game for all."
It should be noted that Bean is not to be confused with another former professional baseball player, Billy Beane, who is a minority owner of the Oakland Athletics and whose name has one distinct spelling difference.
What was Billy Bean's Cause of death?
Bean was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2023, and he fought it for a year before he died from complications related to his cancer battle. He is survived by his husband, Greg Baker. In the statement from MLB on Twitter, the organization recognized Bean's work as an athlete and as an executive later in his career.
"Billy's 10-year playing career included six Major League seasons with the Tigers, Dodgers, and Padres," the statement said. "Commissioner Rob Manfred called Billy 'one of the kindest and most respected individuals I have ever known' and someone who 'made baseball a better institution, both on and off the field.'"
In 2023, Bean spoke with USA Today Sports about his diagnosis. At the time, he admitted that "mentally, it's a new challenge." He added, however, that he was also "hopeful" at the time despite his diagnosis and related health problems.
He shared with the outlet that, as someone who had been an athlete, losing strength and energy was something he wasn't used to overcoming.
What teams did Billy Bean play for in MLB?
Throughout the course of Bean's 10-year-long career as a professional baseball player, he worked with three teams — the Detroit Tigers, the San Diego Padres, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. After the 1995 season, he retired from baseball, but he never really left MLB as a whole, as he made it his life's work to eventually be part of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion department as an executive.
