A spokeswoman for Brown's family said he passed away peacefully in his Los Angeles home on Thursday night with his wife, Monique, by his side.
In later years, he worked to curb gang violence in LA and founded Amer-I-Can, a program to help disadvantaged inner-city youth and ex-convicts. He also feuded with Browns coach Paul Brown and later with the team's management, although he played his entire career with Cleveland. 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 league's records for yards and touchdowns .“He told me, `Make sure when anyone tackles you he remembers how much it hurts,”' said Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey. “He lived by that philosophy and I always followed that advice.”
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 an astonishing 5.2 yards per carry. A dangerous receiver as well, Brown finished with 262 catches for 2,499 yards and another 20 TDs.