ARNOLD PALMER, THE man who brought golf from the country club to the masses with a hard-charging style, charisma and a commoner’s touch, has died. He was 87.

At ease with both presidents and the golfing public, and on a first-name basis with both, “The King” died in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. Alastair Johnson, CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, confirmed that Palmer died of complications from heart problems.

Palmer ranked among the most important figures in golf history, and it went well beyond his seven Major championships and 62 PGA Tour wins. His good looks, devilish grin and go-for-broke manner made the elite sport appealing to one and all. And it helped that he arrived about the same time as television moved into most households, a perfect fit that sent golf to unprecedented popularity.

Beyond his golf, Palmer was a pioneer in sports marketing, paving the way for scores of other athletes to reap in millions from endorsements. Some four decades after his last PGA Tour win, he ranked among the highest-earners in golf.

On the golf course, Palmer was an icon not for how often he won, but the way he did it.