Hank Aaron, baseball's one-time home run king, dies at 86

Krystal Dixon takes a photo in front of Hank Aaron's home run wall, left from when Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium was demolished, where Aaron hit his 715th home run on April 8, 1974 to break the career home run record held by Babe Ruth. Hank Aaron died Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

FILE - Hall of Famer Hank Aaron waves to the crowd during Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, N.Y., in this Sunday, July 28, 2013, file photo. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)

FILE - In this April 8, 1974, file photo Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run in Atlanta Stadium to break the all-time record set by the late Babe Ruth. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo/Joe Holloway, Jr., File)

FILE- In this March 29, 2017, file photo, Hank Aaron looks at his new statue in Monument Garden at SunTrust Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, after the unveiling ceremony in Atlanta. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

FILE - In this April 8, 1999, file photo, Major League Baseball's all-time career home run record holder Hank Aaron laughs as he shows off the newly unveiled "Hank Aaron Award" during a news conference in Atlanta. Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record and gracefully left his mark as one of baseball’s greatest all-around players, died Friday. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves, Aaron's longtime team, said he died peacefully in his sleep. No cause was given. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

A new sign showing the number of Hank Aaron's home runs provides a background as he runs off the field after the eighth inning of the first game of the doubleheader with the Cincinnati Reds at Atlanta Stadium, Sept. 10, 1973. (AP Photo)

FILE - In this April 8, 1974, file photo, Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron holds aloft the ball he hit for his 715th career home in Atlanta. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron sits for a portrait after receiving his COVID-19 vaccination at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, in this Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, file photo. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo/Ron Harris, File)

FILE - Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron smiles as he is honored with a street named after him outside CoolToday Park, the spring training baseball facility of the Atlanta Braves, in North Port, Fla., in this Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, file photo. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron (44) breaks Babe Ruth's record for career home runs as he hits his 715th off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing in the fourth inning of the game opener at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Ga., April 8, 1974. (AP Photo)

FILE- In this July 14, 1968, file photo, Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron smiles as he looks at the trophy presented him by Braves President Bill Bartholomay, after Aaron hit his 500th career home run in Atlanta. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo/Charles Kelly, File)

FILE- In this Jan. 14, 2016, file photo, Hank Aaron, left, looks on with wife Billye during a ceremony presenting him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, by the Consul General of Japan at his official residence in Atlanta. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

FILE - In this April 4, 1974, file photo, baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, right, presents Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron with a trophy after he tied Babe Ruth's all-time home run record in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Bob Johnson, File)

FILE - Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron smiles during a press conference at Atlanta Stadium, Ga., after the game in which he hit his 715th career home, in this April 8, 1974, file photo. With him is his wife Billye, partially obscured. Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record and gracefully left his mark as one of baseball’s greatest all-around players, died Friday. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves, Aaron's longtime team, said he died peacefully in his sleep. No cause was given. (AP Photo/File)

FILE- In this March 1974 file photo, Atlanta Braves outfielder Hank Aaron swings a bat at home plate during spring training. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo, File)

FILE- In this 1954 file photo, Milwaukee Braves' Hank Aaron poses for a photo at Ebbets Field during an exhibition season in New York. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this April 27, 1971, file photo, Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron watches as his 600th major league home run during third inning of National League game against San Francisco in Atlanta. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo/Jack Harris, File)

FILE - Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron gives the thumbs-up sign to reporters indicating he will play in the season opener against the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, in this April 4, 1974, file photo. Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record and gracefully left his mark as one of baseball’s greatest all-around players, died Friday. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves, Aaron's longtime team, said he died peacefully in his sleep. No cause was given.(AP Photo/File)

FILE- In this July 12, 2004, file photo, home run record holder Hank Aaron greets San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds before the start of the All-Star Home Run Derby in Houston. Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record and gracefully left his mark as one of baseball’s greatest all-around players, died Friday. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves, Aaron's longtime team, said he died peacefully in his sleep. No cause was given.(AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 23, 1957, file photo, Milwaukee Braves' Hank Aaron is carried from the baseball field by teammates after they won the National League pennant with a 4-2 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals, in Milwaukee. 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, Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death was given. (AP Photo/File)

Atlanta Braves employees place flowers next to a portrait Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron outside Truist Park, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in Atlanta. 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 peacefully in his sleep early Friday. He was 86. (AP Photo/John Bazemore

A baseball left by a fan rests in a growing memorial Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in Atlanta, near the spot where a ball hit for home run by Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron cleared the wall to break Babe Ruth's home run record in 1974. 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 peacefully in his sleep early Friday. He was 86. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)