judgment. Tatum was married briefly to Lottie 'the Body' Graves who he met in San Francisco. Death and legacy In 1966, Tatum's son, Goose Jr., was killed in a car accident. Soon after, Tatum began drinking heavily which led to a series of hospital visits. He died at his home in El Paso, Texas on January 18, 1967, at the age of 45. The official autopsy stated that he died of natural causes. Tatum was interred in the Fort Bliss National Cemetery. Tatum is considered to be the original "clown prince"—a term first applied to seminal Chicago Crusader/Philadelphia Giant Jackie Bethards in 1933—of the Trotters. He wove numerous comic routines into his play, many of which achieved cult status. Some of these routines were based on his stature—at 6'4", it is reported that he had an arm span of about 84 inches (210& cm) and could touch his kneecaps without bending. Tatum is credited with inventing the hook shot. While playing for the Harlem Magicians, Tatum was billed as having scored the most points in the history of basketball, but the assertion is dubious. In 1974, Tatum was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. His number 50 jersey was retired by the Harlem Globetrotters on February 8, 2002 and his name was placed on the Globetrotters' "Legends Ring" at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tatum was the fourth player to have his number retired by the Globetrotters. In 2011, Tatum was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Footnotes Some sources list Tatum's birth date as May 3, 1921 in Hermitage, Arkansas. References External links and Seamheads 1921 births 1967 deaths African-American baseball players African-American basketball players United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Baseball players from Arkansas Basketball players from Arkansas Birmingham Black Barons players Cincinnati Clowns players Detroit Stars players Harlem Globetrotters players Indianapolis Clowns players Memphis Red Sox players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees People from El Dorado, Arkansas United States Army Air Forces soldiers African-American United States Army personnel American men's basketball players 20th-century African-American sportspeople African Americans in World War II