The Associated Press announced on Friday that Gary Carter, the New York Mets catcher who entered the Hall of Fame, passed away at 57 years old. His death was caused by a malignant brain tumor that he discovered last year during a medical checkup. The catcher was taken to a hospice in the West Palm Beach, Florida where he spent the last minutes of his life.

Gary Carter will always be remembered for the contribution he brought to the baseball world and to his team, the New York Mets. In 1986, he hit a game-winning single against the Houston Astros and thus, made it to the Hall of Fame. The “Kid”, as fans used to call him retired from baseball in 1992 and moved on to coach college and minor-league teams.

His demise was publicly announced by his spokesperson, Jay Horwitz and by his daughter, Kimmy Bloemers. His colleague, Mets’ pitcher Tom Seaver was the first to comment on the news. He told reporters that Carter was very passionate about baseball and it was a pleasure to be able to play with him.

Carter’s daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, who is the head softball coach at Palm Beach Atlantic, confirmed the news on the website of the family. She wrote that the Kid passed away on Thursday at 4:10 p.m. She concluded the announcement by saying that it was very difficult for her to write about her father’s death, but she considered that it was her duty to let his fans know.

Carter got his nickname because he was always exuberant and happy to be on the field. He was an 11-time All-Star and won the Golden Glove Award three times. He played for almost two decades with teams like Mets, Montreal, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The New York Mets offered moral support to their former colleague when they found out that he was struggling with brain cancer last year. They played a video showing all the accomplishments he made in the years he played for the Mets during a game at Citi Field. The registered material was followed by a message letting Carter know that everybody was praying for him.