Arnold Palmer, one of golf's
greatest players whose immense popularity drew a legion of fans to the game at
the dawn of the age of televised sport, died of heart complications on Sunday he
was 87.
He was about as neighborly as a
worldwide celebrity could ever be. You could easily imagine him lending you his
tractor or lawn mower or plowing eight inches of snow from your driveway if you
happened to be away on business. But the most important player? It's fairly
unanimous that Arnold Palmer was, true to his nickname, the King.
According to his longtime agent,
Alastair Johnston, Palmer died of complications from heart problems. Johnston
said Palmer was admitted to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Presbyterian on Thursday for some cardiovascular work and weakened over the
past few days.
He wasn't the greatest male
golfer of all time. That title usually prompts a debate about Jack Nicklaus or
Tiger Woods or Ben Hogan, maybe Sam Snead. Palmer, a charismatic figure
popularly known as 'The King' who accumulated 62 career victories on the PGA
Tour including seven major championships, died at UPMC Hospital in Pittsburgh,
near his hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
I know he was in Pittsburgh
trying to find out how to make himself better. But please understand something
when you consider the legacy of this late, great 87-year-old man from Latrobe,
Pennsylvania, who was always happiest when he was making someone else's day.
That’s what Arnold has always
tried to do. He has always been a fighter and he never gave up on anything. He
didn’t give up even now. Maybe his body did, but I know Arnold’s will and
spirit did not.
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