Wife of Willie Mays passes away at age 74

Willie Mays and his wife, Mae, had been married for 41 years after meeting in New York City.

Doug Pensinger/AP

SAN FRANCISCO -- The wife of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, Mae Louise Allen Mays, has died. She was 74.

Mays announced his wife's death through the San Francisco Giants on Friday. The couple had been married 41 years after they met during his playing years in New York.

The team said Mrs. Mays died in her sleep Friday morning in the couple's Bay Area home after a long fight with Alzheimer's disease.

Mrs. Mays was born on May 26, 1938. She grew up in the racially segregated Homewood section of Pittsburgh, becoming an accomplished sprinter.