DiMaggio, according to his friend and attorney Morris Engelberg, died at his home a little after midnight while surrounded by his family and friends. In October, DiMaggio underwent lung cancer surgery and fought through complications for weeks after.
"All of baseball is deeply saddened by the passing of the Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio. For several generations of baseball fans, Joe was the personification of grace, class, and dignity on the baseball diamond. His persona extended beyond the playing field and touched all our hearts. In many respects, as an immigrant's son, he represented the hopes and ideals of our great country.
"Joe DiMaggio was a hero in the truest sense of the word. I idolized him from afar as a child growing up in Milwaukee. In later years, when I had the opportunity to become acquainted with him, my admiration grew. Being with him was an event, bringing on an air of excitement, anticipation and joy.
"Major League Baseball offers its condolences not only to members of the family but to baseball fans everywhere."
With him at his bedside were his brother Dominick, two grandchildren, Engelberg, and long-time friend Joe Nacchio.
DiMaggio was the centerpiece of baseball's most storied and dominant franchise, leading the New York Yankees to nine World Series titles in his 13 seasons. He won three American League Most Valuable Player Awards, was a lifetime .325 hitter and his 56-game hitting streak in 1941 still stands as one of the most revered records in all of sports.
Playing in an era when baseball unquestionably was the national pastime, DiMaggio performed with an elegance and grace that drew respect bordering on awe. He was far more than one of the best center fielders of all time; he was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.
"When Joe walks into a locker room -- even an All-Star locker room -- it's like a senator or a president coming," long-time teammate Phil Rizzuto once said. "There's a big hush. The respect for this man is amazing."
His persona on the field also made him one of the most recognizable and beloved figures off it, a distinction that did not end with his retirement after the 1951 season.
Nicknamed "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joltin Joe," DiMaggio became a legendary figure, even among those that never had the chance to see him play.
"The Yankees had a guy named DiMaggio. Sometimes a fellow gets a little tired writing about DiMaggio," the late Hall of Fame writer Red Smith once said. "A fellow thinks, `There must be some other player in the world worth mentioning.' But there really isn't, not worth mentioning in the same breath as DiMaggio."
Born November 25th, 1914, in Martinez, California to a family of Italian immigrants, Joseph Paul DiMaggio was the eighth of nine children. Brothers Vince and Dom also played in the major leagues.
His enormous baseball talent became apparent in 1933 when he batted safely in 61 straight games for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. Some teams were scared away when DiMaggio injured a knee during the 1934 season, but the Yankees still signed him, leading to his major-league debut in 1936.
Joining a team that included Lou Gehrig, DiMaggio made an immediate impact, hitting .323 with 29 homers and 125 RBI. His arrival began a period in which the Yankees would win 22 AL pennants in 29 years. His second season was even more impressive as he hit .346 with career highs of 46 homers and 167 RBI.
DiMaggio's demeanor was reserved and almost aloof, but it quickly mesmerized the Yankees' faithful in the same way Babe Ruth did with his flamboyant persona years earler.
His rookie season ended with the first of 10 World Series appearances for DiMaggio, including championship teams in each of his first four seasons. In the Fall Classic, he hit eight homers with a .271 average and 30 RBI.
DiMaggio had a wide stance at the plate that gave him a short, controlled stride. He amassed 361 homers and 2,214 hits and drove in 1,537 runs. He struck out just 369 times in 6,281 at-bats, an amazing ratio for a power hitter.
His homer totals would have been higher had the right-handed batter not played half his games in Yankee Stadium, where the left-center field fence was 457 feet from home plate. In addition, DiMaggio lost three of the prime years of his career to military service (1943-45).
The first of his three AL MVP awards came in 1939, when he hit a career-best .381. The second was two years later, when DiMaggio kept the nation enthralled with his 56-game hitting streak that ended on July 17th with the help of two great plays by Cleveland Indians third baseman Ken Keltner.
DiMaggio shattered Willie Keeler's record of 44 games and put together another 16-game streak immediately after the 56-game streak ended in Cleveland. The MVP award went to DiMaggio even though Ted Williams of Boston hit .406.
Injuries began to plague DiMaggio in the years following his military service, but he still hit over .300 five times and was MVP in 1947 as the Yankees won another World Series. A heel injury bothered him for most of 1948 and the injury forced him to miss the first 65 games the following year.
However, he made a triumphant return by hitting four homers in a three-game series against Boston and the Yankees went on to win Fall Classics in each of his final three seasons (1949-51).
DiMaggio was named to the All-Star team each of his 13 seasons and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955.
Ironically, DiMaggio often is remembered for a rare display of emotion during the 1947 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. In Game Six, outfielder Al Gionfriddo made a running catch that deprived DiMaggio of a probable game-tying homer. DiMaggio kicked some dirt on the ground as he approached second base, and baseball historians note that it was a rare occurrence when DiMaggio even came close to losing his cool.
Lack of emotion should not be confused with lack of intensity. No one played harder than DiMaggio, even if the score was lopsided or a pennant was already decided. When asked why he played with the same fire, DiMaggio said it was "because there might be some one out there who had never seen me play."
His battles were not limited to the field. In an era when players rarely challenged management, DiMaggio had frequent contract battles with the Yankees and ultimately became the first player to make $100,000 in a season in 1949.
Earlier in his career, when told by Yankees general manager Ed Barrow that he was seeking more money than Gehrig was making, DiMaggio said "Mr. Barrow, there is only one answer to that -- Mr. Gehrig is terribly underpaid."
DiMaggio hit just .263 in his final season before retiring at age 37. His last season also was the first for Mickey Mantle, continuing the tradition of legendary center fielders.
"You never saw him make a great catch. .. He didn't have to," said former manager Joe McCarthy. "He just knew where the ball was hit and he went and got it."
DiMaggio remained in the spotlight following his departure from baseball and briefly was married to actress Marilyn Monroe in 1954. DiMaggio also became a celebrity spokesman for a wide variety of products.
He last appeared at Yankee Stadium on the final day of the 1998 regular season when the team honored him with "Joe DiMaggio Day" and presented him with replicas of his 10 World Series rings. His No. 5 is among 14 retired in Yankees history.
