Roy Halladay, legendary Blue Jays pitcher, killed in small plane crash

Roy Halladay, a Toronto Blue Jays legend, was killed Tuesday at the age of 40 when his plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico.

The plane went down near Pasco County north of Tampa; investigators said the small plane was found upside down in shallow water north of Bailey’s Bluff in Holiday, Florida.

Pasco County Sheriff’s officials announced the news in a press conference Tuesday afternoon, saying Halladay was a friend with a “heart of gold.”

“He was probably one of the most humble human beings you’ll ever meet,” Sheriff Chris Nocco , who called himself a friend of Halladay’s, said. “For somebody who won two Cy Youngs, as I said one of the greatest pitchers in baseball, he would walk in the room as if he was just anybody. It didn’t matter who he met, he was kind and generous.”

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The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but they say the call came into the sheriff’s office at 12:06 p.m.

Halladay, who retired in 2013, was born in Colorado and lived in Florida. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this year.

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His professional career started when he was picked 17th by the Blue Jays in the 1995 draft. He pitched in Toronto for 12 years, before he was traded to Philadelphia in 2009.

Halladay won the Cy Young Award twice, first with the Blue Jays in 2003 and again in 2010 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He threw the the 20th perfect game in MLB history on May 29, 2010.

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In late 2013, Halladay signed a one-day free-agent contract with Toronto so he could retire as a Blue Jay. Over 16 seasons in the major leagues, Halladay had a 203-105 record and 3.38 ERA.

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Since retirement he had taken up flying.

“I’ve been dreaming about flying since I was a boy but was only able to become a pilot once I retired from baseball,” he said in a tweet last month.

Halladay’s twitter feed was full of pictures of his plane, which was the ICON A5 Aircraft. In an article published by ICON Aircraft, the company said he received the first 2018 model.

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The plane was a single engine plane, which held two people, but officials confirmed there was only one body found in the plane.

His father was also a pilot.

“It is impossible to express what he has meant to this franchise, the city and its fans.”

Barry Davis, former Blue Jays sideline reporter with Sportsnet and host of the Outta the Park podcast reflected on Halladay’s career, saying there was no one who worked harder.

“When he was on the field there was no one more serious, there was no one that worked harder, that took his job like it was the most important thing he could ever do,” Davis told Global News. “Away from the field though, and especially since retirement, Roy was a much more relaxed guy. He was able to laugh. He was able to really enjoy so many other things going on in his life, and flying was definitely one of them.”

“I’m actually surprised that, you know, his number isn’t up on the wall at Rogers Centre but I can definitely guarantee it, it’s going to be up there this summer because he is, if not the best player to ever put on a Blue Jay uniform, he’s definitely the best pitcher to do it.”

LISTEN: Sportscaster Barry Davis talks Roy Halladay’s Legacy on AM640’s The John Oakley Show

The Phillies have released a statement saying “We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy Halladay’s untimely death” “There are no words to describe the sadness that the entire Phillies family is feeling over the loss of one of the most respected human beings to ever play the game. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we pass along our condolences to Brandy, Ryan and Braden.”

Former teammates, opponents and fans took to social media to express their condolences Tuesday.

*with a file from the Associated Press