Former White Sox slugger and TV analyst Bill Melton dies at age 79

CHICAGO (CBS) — Former White Sox slugger and broadcaster Bill Melton has died at the age of 79, the team announced Thursday.
Melton, nicknamed “Beltin’ Bill,” died Thursday morning in Phoenix after a brief illness.
“Bill Melton enjoyed two tremendous careers with the White Sox,” said White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “His first came as a celebrated home run king for White Sox teams in the early 1970s, where ‘Beltin Bill’ brought power to a franchise that played its home games in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Photos of Bill wearing his home run crown and others of him posing with ballpark organist Nancy Faust still generate smiles to this day. Bill’s second career came as a well-liked and respected pre and postgame television analyst, where on a nightly basis Sox fans saw his passion for the team, win or lose. Bill was a friend to many at the White Sox and around baseball, and his booming voice will be missed. Our sympathies go out to his wife Tess, and all of their family and friends.”
He made his Major League Baseball debut with the White Sox in 1968, and spent 8 of his 10 seasons in the majors in Chicago.
He hit .258/.340/.432, with 134 doubles, six triples, 154 home runs, 535 RBI, and 448 runs scored over 976 games with the White Sox from 1968-75, making the American League All-Star team in 1971.
Melton was the first White Sox player to hit 30 or more home runs in a single season in 1970, and was the first White Sox player to lead the American League in home runs in 1971, finishing with 33 homers both years.
He finished his career as the White Sox career home run leader until Harold Baines surpassed him in 1987. Baines was later overtaken by Carlton Fisk, who was then bypassed by Frank Thomas. Melton currently ranks 9th on the White Sox in career home runs, with 154.
In 1992, Melton returned to the White Sox as a team ambassador and part-time scout, and in 1998 joined the team’s television broadcast crew as a pregame and postgame analyst on WGN, and later Comcast SportsNet and NBC Sports Chicago before retiring in 2020.
Melton is survived by his wife, Tess; his son, Billy; his daughter, Jennifer; a grandson; and many extended family members.