The widow of Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, speaking publicly for the first time since her husband's death Friday, told his legions of fans that the North Side legend "was very beloved" by his family as well.
"It is certainly a sad day for us," Liz Banks said Sunday at a brief news conference at a Loop hotel, accompanied by family members and her attorney. "(He) is going to be dearly missed by family, friends and all of his fans."
Attorney Mark Bogen announced that the cause of death for Banks, 83, was a heart attack. Funeral arrangements are pending. Neither Bogen nor Liz Banks took questions.
A couple of hours later, the Cubs and Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced plans to host a public memorial to celebrate Banks' life Wednesday at Daley Plaza, although no speakers were planned as of Sunday evening. Banks' Wrigley Field statue will be moved to Daley Plaza from Wednesday morning through Saturday.
"We are bringing Ernie's statue to Daley Plaza to honor not just one of the best ballplayers of all time, but a great man who made our city proud from the day we first met him in 1953," Emanuel said in a statement.
Bogen extolled the virtues of Banks, who would have turned 84 this Saturday.
"Ernie Banks was a wonderful husband, a great father and grandfather," Bogen said. "People called Ernie Banks the ambassador of baseball. But in reality he was the ambassador for humanity.
"He loved people and wanted to hear their stories of their lives, not talk about his. Instead of talking about baseball, he would talk about life."
Bogen also pointed out some little-known facts about Banks.
"He was a chaplain" who presided at the wedding of former Cubs pitcher Sean Marshall, Bogen said. "He stood up for gay rights and asked the Cubs to have a float in the Gay Pride Parade, which he rode during the parade. The Cubs were the first major sports team to put a float in that parade."
Sammy Sosa, who surpassed Banks as the Cubs' all-time leading home run hitter, released a statement of sympathy on his Facebook page.
"I wanted to express my sincere condolences to the family and fans of Mr. Cub, the legendary Ernie Banks," Sosa wrote. "He was the first African-American to play for the Chicago Cubs, paving the way for many future baseball players like myself. Rest in peace."
One of Banks' unfinished missions was to mediate a reconciliation between Sosa and the Cubs after the slugger faced allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs to boost his power numbers.
While none of Banks' children was side in attendance at the news conference Sunday, one of his sons, Joey Banks, was contacted by the Tribune by phone.
"I realized that people loved him," the 55-year-old California resident said. "I didn't know what his contributions were to the team. It was something I didn't really get. I realized that he was consistent. He was special, and people treated him kind of like that."
Banks declined to discuss the specifics of his father's health but said he spoke with his father regularly and that the frequency of the calls had decreased in recent months.
Increasingly, Joey Banks said, he would call his father and leave a message.
"That became more frequent, and that worried me," Joey Banks said. "I wasn't talking to him. He used to call me every Sunday."
In recent months, Ernie Banks had a "health care person" living with him to ensure he took his medication and ate correctly, Joey Banks said.
Joey Banks, a truck driver, said he last spoke with his father about 10 days ago and he had grown concerned about his father's health in recent weeks.
His father would answer the phone, Joey Banks said, but then he handed the phone over to someone else.
"He didn't speak very long," Joey Banks recalled.
He said he last saw his father in June, at an Ernie Banks bobblehead night at Wrigley Field.
In his later years, Ernie Banks enjoyed watching golf, hanging out at the Harry Caray's restaurant near his Loop residence and keeping up with the Cubs, according to his son.
Ernie Banks' optimism and enthusiasm were not faked for the public, his son said, and that positivity helped him find success in everything from handball to swimming.
"You kind of feel like, 'He must be crazy,' but he does it all the time," Banks said. "He was a very consistent guy. I'll miss his energy. It was pretty great."
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