Arnold Palmer, the player who popularized golf among the masses thanks to his aggressive style, great charisma, and his common-citizen looks, died Sunday in Pittsburgh at 87 years old.
Alastair Johnston, CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, confirmed that “The King” Palmer died in the afternoon, due to complications following a series of heart problems. According to Johnston, Palmer was admitted Thursday to UPMC Hospital for some cardiovascular problems, and had been weakening over the past few days.
“An era has ended today,” stressed Johnston, who was for years Palmer’s agent. “Arnold Palmer’s influence, characteristics and accomplishments extend far beyond golf. He was an iconic American who treated people with respect and warmth, and who built a unique legacy through his ability to engage with fans.”
Palmer was one of the most important figures in the history of golf, and not just because he won seven majors and 62 overall on the PGA Tour. His good looks, mischievous smile and determined attitude made a sport previously aimed only at club elites appeal to a wider audience.
The golfer looked just as relaxed among presidents as he did with his public. His popularity was helped by the fact that his arrival in golf occurred at about the same time that television became a common household technology.
And golf reached unprecedented levels of popularity.
“If it hadn’t been for Arnold, golf wouldn’t be as popular as it is now,” Tiger Woods said in 2004, when Palmer played in his last Masters. “He’s one of those who basically brought this to a prominent place on TV. If it hadn’t been for him and his excitement, his style, the way he played, golf would hardly have generated this kind of excitement. And that’s why he’s the king.”
Beyond his golf, Palmer was a pioneer in sports marketing. He paved the way for many more athletes to reap millions of sponsorship dollars.
Some four decades after his last victory on the American Tour, he was still among the top-earning golfers.
“Thank you, Arnold, for your friendship, advice and laughter,” Woods tweeted in the evening. “Your philanthropy and humility are part of your legend. It’s hard to imagine golf without you or to think of anyone more important than the King.”
The charismatic and telegenic golfer, who emerged as a star of the sport in the 1950s, became U.S. amateur champion in 1954 at , when he was 25 years old, and in 1955 he turned professional, winning the Masters in 1958, a victory he repeated in 1960, 1962 and 1964.
Palmer (Latrobe, Pennsylvania, 1929), who achieved everything as a professional, was voted “Athlete of the Decade” in the 1960s. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. He became the first golfer to surpass a million dollars, after winning the largest prize he won in his career, of $50,000.
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