Richie Bry, 67; Sports Agent for Top Athletes Over a 30-Year Career

Richie Bry, 67, who represented baseball stars Darryl Strawberry and Rickey Henderson and football’s William “The Refrigerator” Perry during his three decades as a sports agent, died of a heart attack Tuesday in St. Louis.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Bry built up a large clientele in his hometown, starting with Lou Brock of the baseball Cardinals. Working as a stockbroker when he began advising Brock, Bry became a full-time agent by the 1970s. He was also Strawberry’s first agent and worked with the slugger until late in his career with the New York Mets.

Broadcaster Bob Costas, whom Bry advised starting in the late 1970s, said Bry wasn’t in the business for the money.

“He was in it for the friendships,” Costas said. “He was extremely generous. You couldn’t pick up a check when he was around.”

Slowed by a heart condition over the last five years, Bry was still working big deals as late as last spring, when he concluded a $32-million contract for outfielder Preston Wilson with the Florida Marlins.