<p>ATLANTA (AP) — Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth but went on to break the career home run record in the pre-steroids era, died early Friday. He was 86</p><p>The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/4hOMsSGnRi">pic.twitter.com/4hOMsSGnRi</a></p>&mdash; Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1352650753920430083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Aaron made his last public appearance less than two weeks ago when he received the COVID-19 vaccine.</p><p>“Hammerin’ Hank” set a wide array of career hitting records during a 23-year career spent mostly with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, including RBIs, extra-base hits and total bases.</p><p>But the Hall of Famer will be remembered for one swing above all others, the one that made him baseball’s home-run king.</p><p>It was a title he would hold for more than 33 years, a period in which the Hammer slowly but surely claimed his rightful place as one of America’s most iconic sporting figures, a true national treasure worthy of mention in the same breath with Ruth or Ali or Jordan.</p>

Baseball legend Hank Aaron has died