1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Yogi Berra dies

September 23, 2015

Berra has been in baseball's Hall of Fame since 1972 after winning the World Series 10 times as a player. He is regarded as one of the sport's greatest players and the inspiration for cartoon hero Yogi Bear.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Gasl
USA Ex-Baseball-Spieler Yogi Berra
Image: Reuters/S. Nesius

American baseball icon Yogi Berra has died at the age of 90, the Yogi Berra Museum confirmed.

Berra, one of the greatest catchers of all-time, won 10 World Series titles and was an All-Star player 15 times. He was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times in his 19-year baseball career. Berra went on to manage the Yankees and the Mets to two more World Series crowns.

"Yogi conducted his life with unwavering integrity, humility and a contagious good humor that elevated him from baseball legend to beloved national icon," the museum said. Berra was named to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1972.

"No American sports figure other than Babe Ruth, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali and perhaps Arnold Palmer and Joe DiMaggio was more recognized by the general public in the 20th century," wrote columnist Marty Noble on Major League Baseball's (MLB) official website.

Berra was also well-known for his amusing quotes that have transcended the sport, such as "it's like deja-vu all over again", "it ain't over till it's over" and "when you come to a fork in the road, take it".

The Yankees catcher is widely regarded to be the inspiration for Hanna-Barbera's cartoon Yogi Bear. Berra launched a lawsuit against the animation firm, but withdrew it later. MLB tweeted: "We mourn the passing of Yankees icon and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra."

rd (AFP, AP)