Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, an unstoppable running back who retired at the peak of his brilliant career to become an actor as well as a prominent civil rights advocate during the 1960s, has died. He was 87.

A spokeswoman for BrownB次元官网网址檚 family said he passed away peacefully in his Los Angeles home on Thursday night with his wife, Monique, by his side.

B次元官网网址淭o the world, he was an activist, actor, and football star,B次元官网网址� Monique Brown wrote in an . B次元官网网址淭o our family, he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Our hearts are broken.B次元官网网址�

One of footballB次元官网网址檚 first superstars, Brown was chosen the NFLB次元官网网址檚 Most Valuable Player in 1965 and shattered the leagueB次元官网网址檚 record books in a short career spanning 1957-65.

Brown led the Cleveland Browns to their last NFL title in 1964 before retiring in his prime after the B次元官网网址�65 season to become an actor. He appeared in more than 30 films, including B次元官网网址淎ny Given SundayB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭he Dirty Dozen.B次元官网网址�

A powerful runner with speed and endurance, BrownB次元官网网址檚 arrival sparked the gameB次元官网网址檚 burgeoning popularity on television.

As Black Americans fought for equality, Brown used his platform and voice to advance their cause.

B次元官网网址淚 hope every Black athlete takes the time to educate themselves about this incredible man and what he did to change all of our lives,B次元官网网址� NBA star LeBron James said. B次元官网网址淲e all stand on your shoulders Jim Brown. If you grew up in Northeast Ohio and were Black, Jim Brown was a God.B次元官网网址�

In June 1967, Brown organized B次元官网网址淭he Cleveland Summit,B次元官网网址� a meeting of the nationB次元官网网址檚 top Black athletes, including Bill Russell and Lew Alcindor, who later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to support boxer Muhammad AliB次元官网网址檚 fight against serving in Vietnam.

In later years, he worked to curb gang violence in LA and in 1988 founded Amer-I-Can, a program to help disadvantaged inner-city youth and ex-convicts.

B次元官网网址淛im Brown is a true icon of not just the Cleveland Browns but the entire NFL,B次元官网网址� said Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam. B次元官网网址淗e was certainly the greatest to ever put on a Browns uniform and arguably one of the greatest players in NFL history. Jim was one of the reasons the Browns have such a tremendous fan base today.

B次元官网网址淪o many people grew up watching him just dominate every time he stepped onto the football field but his countless accolades on the field only tell a small part of his story. His commitment to making a positive impact for all of humanity off the field is what he should also be known for.B次元官网网址�

On the field, there was no one like Brown, who would blast through would-be tacklers, refusing to let one man take him down before sprinting away from linebackers and defensive backs. He was also famous for using a stiff arm to shed defenders in the open field or push them away like they were rag dolls.

B次元官网网址淢y arms were like my protectors and weapons,B次元官网网址� Brown said during an interview with NFL Films.

Indeed, Brown was unlike any back before him, and some feel there has never been anyone better than ClevelandB次元官网网址檚 incomparable No. 32. At 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, he was relentless, fighting for every yard, dragging multiple defenders along or finding holes where none seemed to exist.

After Brown was tackled, heB次元官网网址檇 slowly rise and walk even more slowly back to the huddle B次元官网网址� then dominate the defense when he got the ball again.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell offered his condolences on behalf of the league.

B次元官网网址淛im Brown was a gifted athlete B次元官网网址� one of the most dominant players to ever step on any athletic field B次元官网网址� but also a cultural figure who helped promote change,B次元官网网址� Goodell said. B次元官网网址淒uring his nine-year NFL career, which coincided with the civil rights movement here at home, he became a forerunner and role model for athletes being involved in social initiatives outside their sport.B次元官网网址�

Off the field, Brown was a contentious figure.

While he had a soft spot for those in need, and his generosity changed lives, he also was arrested a half-dozen times, mostly on charges of hitting women.

In June 1999, BrownB次元官网网址檚 wife called 911, saying Brown had smashed her car with a shovel and threatened to kill her. During the trial, Monique Brown recanted. Jim Brown was acquitted of a charge of domestic threats but convicted of misdemeanor vandalism. The Los Angeles judge sentenced Brown to six months in jail when he refused to attend domestic violence counseling.

He also feuded with Browns coach Paul Brown and later with the teamB次元官网网址檚 management, although he played his entire career with Cleveland.

When his playing days ended, Brown set off for Hollywood and eventually settled there. Brown advised Cleveland coach Blanton Collier of his retirement while the team was in training camp and he was on the set of B次元官网网址淭he Dirty DozenB次元官网网址� in England.

Among his films were B次元官网网址�100 Rifles,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淢ars Attacks!B次元官网网址� Spike LeeB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淗e Got Game,B次元官网网址� Oliver StoneB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淎ny Given Sunday,B次元官网网址� and the satire B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 Gonna Git You Sucka,B次元官网网址� in which he parodied the blaxploitation genre. In 2002, Brown was the subject of LeeB次元官网网址檚 HBO documentary B次元官网网址淛im Brown: All-American.B次元官网网址�

In recent years, BrownB次元官网网址檚 relationship with the Browns was inconsistent. He served as an adviser to owner Randy Lerner and was hired to counsel the teamB次元官网网址檚 younger players. However, in 2010, Brown parted ways with the team after having his role reduced by incoming team president Mike Holmgren. Brown felt slighted by the perceived demotion B次元官网网址� when the club unveiled a B次元官网网址淩ing of HonorB次元官网网址� inside its downtown stadium, Brown didnB次元官网网址檛 attend the ceremony in protest.

The Browns erected a statue of Brown outside their stadium in 2016.

When the Cavaliers won the NBA title that year, ending ClevelandB次元官网网址檚 52-year championship drought, Brown passed the Larry OB次元官网网址橞rien Trophy to James in a symbolic passing of the torch at the end of the the cityB次元官网网址檚 downtown parade.

Brown was an eight-time All-Pro and went to the Pro Bowl in each of his nine years in the league. When Brown walked away from the game at age 30, he held the leagueB次元官网网址檚 records for yards (12,312) and touchdowns (126).

And despite his bruising style, Browns never missed a game, playing in 118 straight.

B次元官网网址淗e told me, B次元官网网址楳ake sure when anyone tackles you he remembers how much it hurts,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� said Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey. B次元官网网址淗e lived by that philosophy and I always followed that advice.B次元官网网址�

A two-sport star at Syracuse B次元官网网址� some say he is the best lacrosse player in NCAA history B次元官网网址� Brown endured countless racist taunts while playing at the virtually all-white school at the time. Still, he was an All-American in both sports and lettered in basketball.

Brown was the sixth overall pick of the 1957 draft, joining a team that routinely played for the title. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year that season.

Running behind an offensive line featuring Hall of Fame tackles Lou Groza and Mike McCormack, Brown set a league mark with 1,527 yards and scored 17 TDs on his way to the leagueB次元官网网址檚 Most Outstanding Player award B次元官网网址� a precursor to the MVP B次元官网网址� in 1958. Over the next three seasons, he never ran for less than 1,257 yards before picking up just 996 in 1962.

He led the NFL in rushing eight times, gaining a career-best 1,863 yards in 1963. He averaged 104 yards per game, scored 106 rushing touchdowns and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. A dangerous receiver as well, Brown finished with 262 catches for 2,499 yards and another 20 TDs.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e said many times, and I will always say, Jim Brown is the best,B次元官网网址� Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers once said, B次元官网网址渁nd he will still be the best long after all his records are broken.B次元官网网址�

BrownB次元官网网址檚 No. 32 was retired by the Browns in B次元官网网址�71, the same year he entered the Hall of Fame. But he rarely visited Cleveland during the 1970s and B次元官网网址�80s. He and Cleveland owner Art Modell were at odds over his sudden retirement; the two later patched up their differences and remained good friends.

Brown supported ModellB次元官网网址檚 decision to move ClevelandB次元官网网址檚 franchise to Baltimore in 1995. It was both a reflection of his loyalty to Modell and another sign of his fierce independence. Brown was one of the few former Browns players not angry with Modell for moving the team.

Many of the modern players couldnB次元官网网址檛 appreciate Brown or his impact on American sports.

B次元官网网址淭hey have grown up in a different era,B次元官网网址� former Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 one of the greatest players in NFL history and what he was able to accomplish in his time was tremendous. I donB次元官网网址檛 know that anybody could do what he did, the way he did it, under the circumstances that he had to operate and the things that he had to endure.

B次元官网网址淎nd for him to go out on top, thatB次元官网网址檚 something that not many guys are able to appreciate either.B次元官网网址�

Born on Feb. 17, 1936, in St. Simons Island, Georgia, Brown was a multisport star at Manhasset High School on Long Island. He averaged 14.9 yards per carry in football and once scored 55 points in a game.

Brown later took up golf, and while playing with Jack Nicklaus in the 1963 Cleveland Pro-Am, he shot a 79.

Brown is survived by Monique and their child. He was divorced after 13 years of marriage from Sue Brown, with whom he had three children.

B次元官网网址擳om Withers, The Associated Press