Baseball Icon Hank Aaron Is Dead at 86

"Hammerin' Hank" is gone. Baseball legend Hank Aaron has died at age 86, reports WSB-TV in Atlanta. His daughter confirmed the death, though no cause was immediately given. Aaron was the one-time home run king of baseball after hitting 755 in his career, which was spent mostly with the Atlanta Braves. He surpassed Babe Ruth's record of 714 in the 1974 season, and held the title for three decades until Barry Bonds eclipsed him. But his impact went beyond the game. Aaron battled what CBS 46 calls "horrendous racism" throughout his career and endured death threats when he neared Ruth's record.

R.I.P Hank Aaron .

Let’s just make sure we keep it real with Hank Aaron. He was able to accomplish remarkable things despite guttural, ugly, frightening racism. His achievement is twofold: the home run record, and the racism he overcame while breaking it.