Sad news Friday night: former Boston and Milwaukee Braves pitcher and Atlanta Braves announcer Ernie Johnson, Sr. died at the age of 87. His cause of death hasn't yet been made widely known, but Mark Bradley, in a brief memorial, reveals Johnson died while under hospice care with his wife at his side.
Johnson pitched for the Braves in 1950 and from 1952 to 1958, also playing the final year of his career for the Baltimore Orioles. He was the voice of the Braves from 1962 until 1999, and was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame shortly after his retirement.
Over the course of his long career, Johnson became an Atlanta sports icon. He provided calls for Hank Aaron's pursuit and eclipsing of Babe Ruth's home run record and the first half of the longest streak of division dominance in American pro sports history.
Here's a look back at his career, and here's a profile of Johnson that was first released in 1982:
His son, Ernie Johnson, Jr., worked Braves games with him and currently covers the NBA for TNT.
For more on Johnson and the Braves, head to Talking Chop.