The sports world is mourning the loss of an icon.
Jim Brown, an NFL champion turned actor and civil rights activist, died May 18 at his Los Angeles home, his wife Monique Brown shared on Instagram. He was 87.
“To the world he was an activist, actor, and football star,” Monique wrote May 19. “To our family, he was a loving and wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Our hearts are broken.”
She didn’t share a cause of death.
Jim’s rep Rhiannon Ellis called him a “trailblazer in American culture” while sharing a statement on his legacy.
Jim’s professional sports legacy career in 1957, when he was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. He would go on to be named Rookie of the Year, become a three-time NFL MVP and lead the Cleveland Browns to an NFL Championship in 1964. A year later, Jim, who played the running back position, retired at age 29.
