STURBRIDGE (AP) - Boston Red Sox public address announcer Carl Beane, the voice of Fenway Park since 2003, died in a one-car accident in central Massachusetts on Wednesday.
He was 59.
The Worcester District Attorney confirmed that Beane died in an accident after his car crossed the double yellow lines and left the road before hitting a tree and a wall. He was pronounced dead at Harrington Hospital in Southbridge a short time later, according to a release from D.A. Joseph D. Early Jr.
In a press release, the Red Sox say Beane suffered a heart attack while driving.
A longtime fixture in the Red Sox media who provided radio reports and gathered sound for broadcasters, including The Associated Press, Beane landed what he called his dream job when he was hired to announce the lineups and other information at Fenway Park in 2003. The next year, he announced the home games of the World Series when the Red Sox won the championship to end an 86-year title drought.
With his voice familiar throughout New England to the millions of fans who filled Fenway each year, Beane was also hired to work as a master of ceremonies, narrate commercials and announce wedding parties. According to a 2008 interview with Boston Magazine, grooms would tell Beane they were more nervous to meet him and try on his World Series ring than they were when reciting their vows.
"When I get that instant response, a feeling washes over me like, 'This is where I should be,'" Beane told the magazine. "This is what I know I was put on Earth to do."
The Red Sox, who had a game against the Royals in Kansas City on Wednesday night, released a statement shortly after learning of the fatality.
The statement includes comments from President/CEO Larry Lucchino.
"No one loved his role with the Red Sox more than Carl did his. He adored the opportunity to pay homage each game to Sherm Feller, and to contribute to the culture of Fenway Park, a place he loved passionately. His legion of friends with the Red Sox and the media will miss him enormously, and all of Red Sox Nation will remember his presence, his warmth, and his voice," says Lucchino.
Born and raised in Agawam, Beane graduated from the Career Academy School of Broadcasting in 1972 and soon after got his first job broadcasting sports. He has provided updates and sound for news outlets, including the AP, ESPN and Sirius Satellite Radio. He also taught sports broadcasting and play-by-play classes at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting.
According to his website, his voice can be heard in "The Baseball Experience" at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Beane has also served as a spokesman for the American Diabetes Association and a narrator for Talking Books at the Perkins School for the Blind.
The Red Sox will honor Beane during their Thursday home game versus the Cleveland Indians.
Cox Media Group
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