Joe Dimaggio Dies

Joe DiMaggio, the elegant Yankee Clipper whose 56-game hitting streak endures as one of the most remarkable records in any sport, died today at his home in Hollywood, Fla. He was 84.

Mr. DiMaggio, who underwent lung-cancer surgery in October and battled a series of complications for weeks afterward, died shortly after midnight, said Morris Engelberg, his longtime friend and attorney.

At his bedside were his brother Dominick, two grandchildren, Engelberg, and Joe Nacchio, his friend for 59 years.

Mr. DiMaggio's body will be flown to Northern California for burial on Thursday in his home town of San Francisco, Engelberg said.

"DiMaggio, the consummate gentleman on and off the field, fought his illness as hard as he played the game of baseball and with the same dignity, style and grace with which he lived his life," said Engelberg, Mr. DiMaggio's next-door neighbor.

When Mr. DiMaggio left the hospital on Jan. 19, he was invited by New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to throw out the ceremonial first ball at the Yankees' home opener April 9.

After Mr. DiMaggio came home from the hospital, a sign was placed on his bed saying "April 9 Yankee Stadium or Bust."

Mr. DiMaggio roamed center field for the Yankees for 13 years through 1951, missing three seasons to serve in World War II.

During that time, he played for 10 pennant winners and nine World Series champions.

But more than anything it was The Streak, during the magical summer of '41, that riveted a country fresh from the Depression and elevated him from baseball star to national celebrity.

He ascended even higher in 1954 when he wed Marilyn Monroe, a storybook marriage that failed all too quickly and left him broken-hearted. For years after she died in 1962, Mr. DiMaggio sent roses for her grave but refused to talk about her.

"Even though I was never one of those people who cared about baseball, I care a lot about Joe DiMaggio," said former New York Mayor Ed Koch, who grew up in the city during Mr. DiMaggio's heyday.

"He represented the best in America. It was his character, his generosity, his sensitivity. He was someone who set a standard every father would want his children to follow."

People in the sport agreed.

"His persona extended beyond the playing field and touched all our hearts," baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. "In many respects, as an immigrant's son, he represented the hopes and ideals of our great country.

"I idolized him from afar as a child growing up in Milwaukee. In later years, when I had the opportunity to become acquainted with him, my admiration grew. Being with him was an event, bringing on an air of excitement, anticipation and joy."

Tommy Lasorda, former Los Angeles Dodgers manager, suggested that Mr. DiMaggio's record 56-game hitting streak may stand for 100 more years, unlike Babe Ruth and Roger Maris' home run records and Lou Gehrig's consecutive-game streak.

"He was always kind of shy," Lasorda said. "He felt uncomfortable with a lot of people, but yet he was always there as a tremendous representative of our game of baseball. He was an icon."

In Albany, a bill is before the New York legislature to rename the city's West Side Highway for Mr. DiMaggio.

"I'm comforted, as are all New Yorkers, that we informed him before he died that the West Side Highway will be renamed the Joe DiMaggio Highway," said Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a longtime Yankee fan.

"As long as baseball is played, Joe DiMaggio will exemplify the very best."

At the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., the flag was at half-staff, and a wreath was placed on Mr. DiMaggio's plaque.

Mr. DiMaggio didn't seek the limelight but lived his life slipping into and out of it, uncomfortable when it shined on him.

The story goes that when Monroe squealed delightedly that she had been cheered by tens of thousands of troops in Korea and told Mr. DiMaggio he couldn't imagine what that was like, he deadpanned, "Oh, yes, I can."