Larry Benjamin, a long-time football fan who went viral for dyeing his hair blue to support the Detroit Lions last season, died on Sunday.
Benjamin, 83, was in hospice care for COPD during the Detroit Lions’ playoff run last season. His son, Jeff Benjamin, posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that his dad passed away in his sleep.
“To everyone who supported my dad’s blue-haired pursuit of a Detroit Lions Super Bowl, know that he is now in peace. He passed away in his sleep earlier this morning. (Amon-Ra St. Brown) thanks for all the love!” wrote Jeff Benjamin.
“Just so you know, my dad didn’t always have blue hair, but he always had better hair than me,” he added.
Tributes poured in for Larry Benjamin, including the Detroit Lions, who responded to Jeff Benjamin’s post: “We are very sorry to hear about your loss. We are thinking of you and your family 🙏”
Amon-Ra St. Brown, meanwhile, quoted Jeff Benjamin’s tweet with the reply: “RIP Mr. Benjamin 💙🩶🙏🏾🙏🏾🕊️”
Larry Benjamin was a huge Detroit Lions fan and Amon-Ra St. Brown took notice
After the Detroit Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 in the NFL wild-card round last season, Larry Benjamin opted to dye his hair blue to show his support. The 83-year-old’s son shared a photo of his dad’s new look, which went viral online.
Amon-Ra St. Brown was among those who were touched by the gesture of Larry Benjamin, so the two-time Pro Bowler reached out to the Benjamin family and sent over a signed jersey with the message: “Larry the Man. Keep being a beast. Best fans in the world. One Pride!”
Amon-Ra St. Brown rocked his blue hairdo ahead of the playoffs, and after Benjamin’s tribute, the 24-year-old wideout decided back then that he would continue to wear the blue “until the wheels fall off.”
“I’ve got the blue now, I’m rocking with it,” said St. Brown. “Shoot, I’m going to keep going with it.”
The USC product is coming off a career year, racking up 119 receptions for 1,515 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. In the NFL playoffs, St. Brown had 22 receptions for 274 receiving yards and one touchdown in three playoff games.
The Detroit Lions went to their first NFC Championship game in 32 years but eventually lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31.