American baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Rickey Henderson, widely regarded as the greatest leadoff hitter in Major League Baseball history, has died, the league commissioner Robert Manfred confirmed in a statement on Saturday.

“Rickey was one of the most accomplished and beloved athletes of all-time,” Mr Manfred wrote. “He also made an impact with many other clubs during a quarter-century career like no other.  Rickey epitomized speed, power and entertainment in setting the tone at the top of the lineup,” he said.

He was 65.

According to the New York Times, the two-time World Series champion died on Friday. Although no cause of death was specified, the family of the baseball legend thanked the staff at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Centre.

In her tribute, Mr Henderson’s wife, Pamela Henderson, through a statement by Oakland Athletics, described her husband as “a devoted son, dad, friend, grandfather, brother, uncle, and a truly humble soul.”

Nicknamed the ‘the man of steal’ by sportswriters due to his signature crouched stance, blazing speed and unlikely home run power, Mr Henderson played 25 seasons in the MLB for nine different teams and holds the career record for stolen bases with 1,406 — a mark not expected to be surpassed by anyone soon. 

Mr Henderson owns the record for runs scored, with 2,295, in 81 of them being the result of leadoff home runs — another record.

Also, his  2,190 walks rank him second behind Barry Bonds.

In 1982, he set a standing record for the most stolen bases (130) in a single season.