Tommy Lasorda, the longtime manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, passed away from a heart attack last Thursday. Like his predecessor, Walt Alston, he managed the team for over two decades, but unlike Alston, Lasorda became not only bigger than his team, but also his sport.
Enveloping himself in the Los Angeles lifestyle and hanging with A-list celebrities, Lasorda was seen as a lovable bubble of fun and great quotes, but his life was not without controversy.
It was reported that he did not acknowledge a son, Tommy, Jr, who had come out as gay. Tommy, Jr would later die of AIDS in 1991.
Lasorda led the Dodgers to two World Championships and at the time of his death was the oldest living Hall Of Famer at the time of his passing.
In a report on SB Nation, a paragraph sites an unconfirmed report that Lasorda would later admit that his son's death was AIDS related and that he apologized for his homophobia.
He was a great one.
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