in the 1976 film The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, and in episodes of Ironside, The Jacksons, and What's My Line?, in which Ashford appeared in his first major league season. Ashford was also a contestant on November 17, 1955, TV edition of You Bet Your Life. Ashford was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2008. Ashford died of a heart attack at age 65 in Marina del Rey, California. Upon his death, Bowie Kuhn issued a statement, saying, "As the first black umpire in the major leagues, his magnanimous nature was sternly tested, but he was unshaken and uncomplaining, remaining the colorful, lively personality he was all his life." At his funeral, Ashford was eulogized by Kuhn and former USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux. Ashford was cremated, and his ashes were interred in Cooperstown, New York. Further reading See also List of Major League Baseball umpires References External links Retrosheet SABR biography Ashford's appearance on You Bet Your Life, 1955 Emmett Ashford Oral History Interview - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection 1914 births 1980 deaths African-American sports officials Chapman Panthers baseball players Chapman University alumni Los Angeles City College alumni Major League Baseball umpires Sportspeople from Los Angeles The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Baseball people from California Jefferson High School (Los Angeles) alumni 20th-century African-American sportspeople Baseball players from Los Angeles