New York Yankees General Partner and Co-Chairperson Henry G. "Hank" Steinbrenner died Tuesday at his Clearwater home after a longstanding health issue, according to the team.
He was 63.
Steinbrenner was the oldest of former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner’s four siblings who own the team’s controlling shares.
Born in Cleveland in 1957, he and his younger brother, Hal, have run the team’s baseball operations for the last 11 seasons.
“Hank was a genuine and gentle spirit who treasured the deep relationships he formed with those closest to him,” the Steinbrenner family said in a release on the team’s website. “He was introduced to the Yankees organization at a very young age, and his love for sports and competition continued to burn brightly throughout his life.
“Hank could be direct and outspoken, but in the very same conversation show great tenderness and light-heartedness. More than anything, he set an example for all of us in how comfortably he lived enjoying his personal passions and pursuits. We are profoundly saddened to have lost him and will carry his memory with us always.”
Steinbrenner raised and bred race horses, and also owned an IndyCar racing team with his son, George.
He became the public voice of the Yankees’ ownership between the 2007 and 2008 seasons but did not appear to be involved with the team’s operations in recent years.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Friends of Joshua House Foundation in Tampa.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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