Baseball icon Don Zimmer passed away on Wednesday at the BayCare Alliant Hospital in Dunedin, Florida at the age of 83, more than a month after undergoing heart surgery in April.

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig also confirmed the news, expressing sadness over Zimmer's death, whom he considered as one of his closest friends.

"Like everyone in Major League Baseball, I am deeply saddened by the loss of my friend Don Zimmer, one of our game's most universally beloved figures," Selig said in a statement. "A memorable contributor to Baseball for more than 60 years, Don was the kind of person you could only find in the National Pastime."

Zimmer spent 66 years in the major league, playing 12 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the original New York Mets team, and four other teams, while also serving as manager and coach.

During his managerial and coaching career, Zimmer was best remembered for leading the Chicago Cubs to a division crown, while also working with Joe Torre, ushering in the best years in New York Yankees history.

"I hired him as a coach, and he became like a family member to me," Torre said. "He has certainly been a terrific credit to the game. The game was his life. And his passing is going to create a void in my life and my wife Ali's. We loved him. The game of Baseball lost a special person tonight. He was a good man."

Derek Jeter, who is a part of the most recent NY Yankees dynasty, also credited Zimmer for taking him under his wing, saying that he learned a lot from Zimmer's stories and experience about the game.

"Zim was around when I first came up. He was someone that taught me a lot about the game -- he's been around, he's pretty much seen everything," Jeter said. "His stories, his experiences."

The Tampa Bay Rays, who hired Zimmer as the club's senior adviser, will honor Zimmer on Thursday before their match against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

"Today we all lost a national treasure and a wonderful man," Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said. "Don dedicated his life to the game he loved, and his impact will be felt for generations to come. His contributions to this organization are immeasurable. I am proud that he wore a Rays uniform for the past 11 years. We will miss him dearly."

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