What people were saying about the tragic death of Roy Halladay

Yesterday, Roy Halladay’s single-engine plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Florida. Within hours, the local sheriff’s department had confirmed that the legendary pitcher was dead at age 40. Halladay, who started his career with the Blue Jays before joining the Phillies in 2010, was beloved by fans across North America, and so it didn’t take long for Twitter to turn into a wake. Here’s what people were saying:

Here’s the official statement from the Jays:

It wasn’t long before fans started chiming in with memorial ideas:

It’s not unheard of for the city to rename streets after deceased notables, but it would be unusual for that to be done on behalf of a baseball player:

Others focused on Halladay’s exemplary on-field performance:

He could definitely throw a ball:

Some of the biggest names in the sport chimed in with condolences:

The reigning star of the Jays pitching staff was caught off guard by the news:

So was the team’s star closer:

Halladay was as big a deal in Philly as he was in Toronto. Even the local zoo got in a memorial tweet:

Halladay’s former Phillies teammates were blindsided:

A few of them tweeted condolences: