Phillies Legend Roy Halladay Dies in Plane Crash

The Phillies lost a beloved member of their storied history on Tuesday afternoon.  Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay died when his ICON A5 plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico in Pasco County, Florida.  Halladay was the lone person in the plane.

Ryan Bass of WTSP News in Tampa was first to report that the tail number of the plane that crashed belongs to Halladay.  Images showed the tail number.  At 4:30 p.m. at a second press conference, the Pasco County Sheriff's department reported that Halladay was hte one who died.

Halladay's father was a corporate pilot and Halladay always dreamed of getting a licensed pilot.  "When I retired that was one of the first things I wanted to do," Halladay said in an ICON A5 plane advertisement.  Halladay received the very first plane of the 2018 edition of the ICON A5 just last month, as chronicled on the plane manufacturer's website.

Halladay was proud of his new plane and posted about it frequently since acquiring it:

"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 harts that we pass along our condolences to Brandy, Ryan and Braden."

Halladay was just 40 years old.

The Pasco Sheriff's department had the responsibility to deliver the news of someone they knew and loved:

Halladay was a resident of Pasco County.

Halladay split his career between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Phillies, going 203-105 with a 3.38 earned run average in 416 games.  Halladay won two Cy Young Awards and was an All-Star eight times during his career.  Halladay also threw a perfect game during the regular season and a memorable no-hitter in the 2010 playoffs.