Yankee “institution,” organist Eddie Layton
Posted: Tuesday, December 28th, 2004 8:10 amEddie Layton, a sports institution in New York as the organist at Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden, died Sunday at his home in Forest Hills, Queens.
His death was announced by the Yankees, who said it came after a brief illness. Layton customarily declined to reveal his age, but he was believed to be in his late 70’s.
When he was hired in 1967 to play for the Yankees, Layton had never been to Yankee Stadium and knew nothing about baseball. …
He played at Yankee games for more than three decades, although he missed a few years during the 1970’s while pursuing other musical commitments. He was as familiar as Bob Sheppard on the public-address system, Phil Rizzuto in the broadcast booth and Robert Merrill singing the national anthem.
He played the organ at the Garden from 1967 to 1985 for Knicks and Rangers games. He also played at Islanders games in the Nassau Coliseum for a few seasons in the 1990’s.
If the occasion fit, Layton would depart from his standard fare. When the Yankees’ Alberto Castillo got a hit in mid-May 2002, after going 0 for 14 to that point in the season, he played the “Hallelujah” chorus. … Read full obituary
