Orioles owner Peter Angelos dies – dead at 94

May 14, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Baltimore Orioles cap and glove sits in dugout in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Longtime Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos died Saturday at the age of 94, the team announced.

The Orioles announced Angelos’ passing in a statement, adding that he had been ill for several years. The Angelos family will hold a private burial, and requested charitable donations in lieu of flowers.

A statement from the Angelos family: pic.twitter.com/vRtrc4Y6Gq

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) March 23, 2024

Angelos led the investment group that purchased the Orioles in 1993, serving as principal owner since then. Initially a player-friendly owner willing to spend large sums of money, the team deteriorated into the 2000s, and Angelos was criticized for overruling his general managers and being too quick to make changes due to the lack of success.

Angelos’ health deteriorated in recent years, and his sons took on more ownership responsibility in a situation that ultimately became quite messy. In January, John Angelos announced that the family had an agreement to sell the team to a new group of investors. That pending sale has yet to receive final approval from MLB.