Yankees co-owner Hank Steinbrenner dies at 63 from longstanding health issue

New York Yankees co-owner and managing general partner Hank Steinbrenner has died at 63 from a longstanding health issue, the team announced Tuesday. The eldest son of George Steinbrenner, who bought the Yankees in 1973 and was the public face of the franchise for years, Hank worked with his brother, Hal, as co-owner of the Yankees after their father’s death in 2010. Hank and Hal worked with club president Randy Levine and general manager Brian Cashman on the decision-making duties for the club.

“Hank was a genuine and gentle spirit who treasured the deep relationships he formed with those closest to him,” the Steinbrenner family said in a statement. “He was introduced to the Yankees organization at a very young age, and his love for sports and competition continued to burn brightly throughout his life. Hank could be direct and outspoken, but in the very same conversation show great tenderness and light-heartedness. More than anything, he set an example for all of us in how comfortably he lived enjoying his personal passions and pursuits. We are profoundly saddened to have lost him and will carry his memory with us always.”

In recent years, Hank hasn’t been in the public eye much, leaving Hal as the face of Yankees ownership.

Hank Steinbrenner’s health issue was not related to the coronavirus, per the New York Post. He is survived by four children, daughters Jacqueline and Julia, and sons George Michael IV and John, one granddaughter, Anabel, and his siblings, Jennifer, Jessica and Hal, and their families.