The tragic passing of trailblazer Billy Bean is marked by sadness around the world of baseball.
William Daro Bean, AKA Billy Bean, has tragically passed away at the age of 60 due to complications related to his acute myeloid leukemia.
The MLB’s Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is survived by his husband, Greg Baker.
Billy was only the second baseball player in the MLB to come out as gay, the first being Glenn Burke, who retired in 1979 and came out in 1982.
Citing that the MLB was not yet ready for an openly gay player, and neither was he, led him to make the difficult decision of retiring from the pitch at the relatively early age of 31.
It was only 3 years after his retirement that he publicly came out as a gay man.
Bean’s story gained national attention, with coverage from major media outlets like the New York Times, CNN, and ABC.
Deciding to promote inclusivity in baseball, on and off the pitch, Bean joined the Office of the Commissioner in July 2014
Commissioner Rob Manfred and close friend to Billy, Brad Ausmusm, quoted:
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.
www.mlb.com
Billy’s husband, Greg Baker, Leads A Private Life
The timeline of Billy and Greg’s relationship and marriage is not revealed, but according to Billy’s social media, they led a happy and healthy marriage founded upon a mutual passion for sports and LGBTQ activism.
Billy’s previous relationships, however, were marked by tragedy and heartbreak.
When he was 24 years old, Bean married his wife, his college sweetheart.
However, only after 4 years, they were divorced, possibly due to Billy’s struggle with his sexuality.
Billy met Sam, an Austria-raised Iranian immigrant, when he was still married to his wife.
Soon thereafter, Sam and Billy started living together, which was kept a secret from all of Billy’s baseball teammates.
Worse is when Sam had to hide in the car whenever any of Sam’s friends swung by impromptu.
Unfortunately, Sam was HIV-positive and di*d due to related complications on April 23, 1995, after Billy rushed him to a hospital where he would not be recognized.
Due to the secrecy of his relationship and sexuality, Bean did not even have time to mourn the de*th of his partner or attend his funeral.
Shortly after the incident, in 1996, Billy retired from baseball entirely.
Billy quoted in an interview:
I swore to myself I would never again let baseball take precedence over my life. If I ever fell in love again, that relationship would come ahead of my career.
www.nytimes.com
After hanging his baseball mitt, Billy moved to Miami Beach, Florida, where he met Efrain Veiga, his partner for 13 years, before breaking up in 2008.
The impact made by Billy Bean for inclusivity in the world of baseball has been monumental and long-lasting.
We express our deepest condolences to his husband, Greg Baker, and the rest of his family.
