Hank Aaron: Atlanta Braves Hold Memorial Service for Late Legend Inside Team's Stadium

01/27/2021 01:49 pm EST

Hank Aaron died last week at the age of 86. And because he was such a legendary figure and a staple in the Atlanta community, the Braves paid tribute to him with a memorial service at Truist Park. One of the many baseball figures who spoke at the service was MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who said Aaron was all about helping the next generation of baseball players.

"Henry wanted to know about the educational part of our program, the historic sites that we planned for the participants to visit, the activities we had planned off the baseball field and, most important, the lessons we were trying to teach and the values we were trying to instill," Manfred said, as reported by MLB.com. "Hank truly cared about the next generation. With his philanthropy and business endeavors, this celebrated power hitter was all about empowering others."

Aaron died of natural causes on Friday, and many baseball players and fans were shocked when they heard the news. The last time Aaron was seen publicly was with his wife Billye earlier this month when the two received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There was speculation that the vaccine caused Aaron's death, but that was proven to be false.

Along with being an outstanding player, Aaron was also a longtime member of the Braves front office. Current Braves manager Brian Snitker was at the service and talked about how Aaron gave him his first coaching job in 1980. Aaron then gave Snitker his first managerial coaching job in 1982.

"Hank epitomized what being an Atlanta Brave is, how he lived his life both on and off the field, always with class and grace," Snitker said. "I'll miss the times he'd stop by, come in my office and just talk. I'll miss the friend and the mentor I had in my life."

Aaron is arguably one of the hitters in Major League Baseball history. He finished his career with 755 home runs, 2,297 RBIs, 3,771 hits and a batting average of .305. His home run-time total ranks second all-time, his hit total ranks first and he's still the all-time leader in RBIs.

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