Al Kaline’s family puts obituary in Detroit newspaper

Part of the reason for Al Kaline’s popularity in Detroit was his humility and everyman status, and his family offered one final reminder of that after his death.

The Kaline family placed an obituary in the Detroit Free Press on Sunday, placing it on the regular obituary page.

Al Kaline’s family put a “regular” obit in the Sunday @freep. By blending in, it’s an example of how one-of-a-kind he really was. pic.twitter.com/CR7ej9aZAT

— Matt Friedman (@mattfrieds) April 12, 2020

Kaline died Monday at the age of 85. The Hall of Famer was a Detroit legend and one of the city’s most popular athletes ever, and the tributes he received were indicative of that. Little things like this go a long way toward explaining why his popularity was so enduring nearly 50 years after his retirement from baseball.