83-year-old Lions fan who dyed hair blue dies in hospice care
FOX 2 (WJBK) - Larry Benjamin, a life-long Detroit Lions fan celebrated on social media for his blue-dyed hair, died in hospice care Sunday morning.
Larry died peacefully in his sleep, his son Jeff Benjamin said. He did not suffer.
In fact, Jeff said his dad was delighted with the fact that his decision to dye his hair Honolulu blue during the playoffs brought so much joy to people.
He was an overnight sensation. And it all began with a simple post on X, made by Jeff in January.
"I just had a picture of my dad with his hair dyed blue and said… ‘My dad is in hospice, hoping for the best, rooting for the Lions’ and this just went crazy. I started getting all these alerts and everything," Jeff said. "I know my dad really appreciated and enjoyed it when it was happening."
83-year-old Lions fan in hospice goes viral for dyeing hair blue
An 83-year-old Lions fan received a call from the team's wide receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown, for dying his his hair bright blue after being inspired by the player.
Not only did it attract a considerable amount of attention, but it also caught the eye of Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown – who inspired the 83-year-old to dye his hair in the first place.
"I was surprised at everything that happened," Larry told FOX 2 back in January. "I was just hoping a few people would say ‘OK I’ll dye my hair blue too.’"
Instead, Larry received a video call and a signed jersey from St. Brown himself.
"It’s just awesome to see that. It’s humbling as a player to know that you can touch other people’s lives just by playing a sport and being who I am," St. Brown said at the time, commenting on Larry's decision to color his hair.
And now, two months after the initial tweet, Jeff took to X to post about his father's death. St. Brown reposted the announcement, expressing his condolences.
"Oh my gosh, I just checked it – I got 1.3 million views on that tweet," Jeff said.
With hundreds of complete strangers reaching out to Jeff to express their condolences, he said it is "heart-warming."
And that is something Jeff thinks his father would have appreciated.
Larry's funeral will take place on Friday, and without a doubt, the impact of his blue hair will be in his eulogy.