His son Bret announced the death on social media. No cause of death was disclosed.

"He was a man of great integrity. He was a great dad, husband, and patriarch. It was a privilege to call him my father. Baseball lost a great one today," Bret Boone wrote.

Boone spent his first 10 seasons in Philadelphia, then played seven years with the California Angels and two with the Kansas City Royals. He later managed the Royals and Cincinnati Reds, compiling a 371-444 record over six seasons.

Drafted in the sixth round out of Stanford in 1969 as a third baseman, Boone was converted to catcher in the minor leagues and became one of the most durable backstops of his era. He caught 1,095 games for the Phillies, second in franchise history behind Red Dooin's 1,124, and 2,225 games overall. He set the major league record for career games caught with 1,919 while with Kansas City, a mark since surpassed by Ivan Rodriguez and Carlton Fisk.

Boone was the first Phillies catcher to win a Gold Glove, earning the honor in 1978 and 1979, and was named to the National League All-Star team in 1976, 1978 and 1979. He batted .412 in the 1980 World Series against the Royals, leading Philadelphia to its first title.

He caught the final out of the 1980 Game 6 clincher when Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson. Earlier in that inning, Boone chased Frank White's foul pop near the home dugout at Veterans Stadium; the ball caromed off his mitt and into Pete Rose's glove for an out, a play replayed in Philadelphia for decades.

Boone added four more Gold Gloves with the Angels, made another All-Star team and twice reached the playoffs. He hit .455 (10 for 22) with a home run and two RBIs against Boston in the 1986 American League Championship Series. He won his final Gold Glove with the Royals in 1989 at age 41.

The Phillies inducted Boone into their Wall of Fame in 2005. He joined the Washington Nationals' front office that same year and was part of the organization when it won the 2019 World Series, the first championship in franchise history. He resigned in 2021 rather than comply with the team's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Boone was part of baseball's first three-generation family. His father, Ray, played 13 seasons in the majors and was a two-time All-Star with the Detroit Tigers. His sons Aaron and Bret both had long careers: Aaron played 13 seasons, including for the Reds when Bob managed the team, and now manages the New York Yankees; Bret was a three-time All-Star over 14 years, mostly with the Seattle Mariners. A third son played in the minor leagues, and Bret's son, Jake, works in the New York Mets' front office after playing at Princeton and briefly in the minors.

For Phillies fans, Boone's legacy is inseparable from the 1980 team that delivered the city's first major sports championship in nearly a century. His steady defense and clubhouse presence made him a fixture of that era, and his family's continued involvement in the game has kept the Boone name in baseball long after his playing days ended.