Bob Uecker Dies: MLB World Remembers Legendary Announcer, Actor, Catcher

The baseball world reacted Thursday to the death of Bob Uecker, who gained more fame as a broadcaster and actor after his brief playing career ended.

Uecker had been battling small cell lung cancer since early 2023. According to MLB Network, Uecker had recently been in hospice care at his home.

More news: Dodgers' Brooklyn Native Who Welcomed Jackie Robinson Dies: Report

"Sad day today. RIP my friend. Ueck was the best. Always optimistic and caring about the players and organization. Probably the funniest guy I ever came across.
Great man that will be missed," former Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy wrote on his Twitter/X account.

"I went fishing with Ueck on his boat during an off day early in my career. I was nervous and hadn't known him long. I love to fish and Ueck invited me to go with him," Lucroy wrote in a follow-up post. "Anyway, I caught a lake trout and brought it in close to the boat. He handed me his net so I could bring the fish in and after I got the fish in it the rubber handle slipped off and the net sank.

MILWAUKEE, WI - 1980: Broadcaster Bob Uecker of the Milwaukee Brewers in the booth during a game at County Stadium in the 1980s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Uecker died at age 90. Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images

"Ueck looks at me, straight faced, serious, and yells, 'that was my grandfathers net!' For a sec, I thought, oh crap. I just messed up. Then I thought, wow, that has to be one old net! Then realized he was full of it. He then started laughing at me.

"He was always messing with people. I loved it. I will miss talking to him."

"One of the hardest things to do is to be yourself all the time," MLB Network broadcaster and former MLB player Harold Reynolds said Thursday. "When you do a movie and you play basically your character in the movie Major League, that's what everybody wanted to see after that all the time. Well, that was the Uecker I got to see when I went to the ballpark. I always wanted to go see him.

"I think he passes more than just baseball, because of the movies, because of the commercials, it takes him to a different stratosphere than the old former player."

"I am heartbroken with the loss of my dear lifelong friend, Bob Uecker," said Bud Selig, the longtime Milwaukee Brewers owner who served as baseball commissioner from 1998-2015. "I can't begin to describe how much he meant to me, let alone what this loss is for Brewers fans, the state of Wisconsin and countless others worldwide.

"Bob had the easiest way of making others feel at ease, share a laugh and always left people feeling a little better. Nobody was his equal. I am so grateful that Bob s friendship was a constant presence throughout most of my life. For over fifty years, rarely did a day pass where we missed a conversation, a sharing of stories, and countless laughs. That cannot be replaced and is a giant loss, but l am lucky to have experienced that kind of enduring friendship."

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Uecker is survived by his longtime partner, Judy, daughter Sue Ann, and son Bob Jr.

For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.