The Autry Family: Los Angeles Angels' Loan Status

Gene Autry, the original owner of the Los Angeles Angels, was a popular and generous owner in baseball. He purchased the rights to the expansion team for $350,000 in 1960, and they made their debut in 1961. In 1995, he sold a quarter share of the team to the Walt Disney Company, and a controlling interest the following year, with the remaining share to be transferred after his death. Disney then bought the rest of the team in 1998 from Autry's family for nearly $150 million. So, no, the Autry family does not still own the Los Angeles Angels.

The Autry family sold the Angels to Disney in 1996

The Los Angeles Angels, initially called the Los Angeles Angels upon its 1961 debut, was founded by Gene Autry. Autry had been a minority owner of the minor-league Hollywood Stars in the 1950s. In 1960, when Major League Baseball announced its plans to add an expansion team in Los Angeles, Autry expressed an interest in acquiring the radio broadcast rights to the team's games. However, baseball executives were so impressed by his approach that he was offered the role of owner of the franchise.

In 1995, Autry sold a quarter share of the team to the Walt Disney Company and a controlling interest the following year, with the remaining share to be transferred after his death. The Autry family sold the Angels to Disney in 1996 for $30 million, with Disney acquiring the remaining share in 1998 for $110 million after Autry's death in 1998.

The sale of the Angels to Disney created some tension, with Jackie Autry, Gene Autry's widow, stating that she would have preferred the company to sell the team to a local buyer. Disney's initial purchase of the team also resulted in the firing of 25 employees and the merging of operations with the NHL's Mighty Ducks in off-field departments.

Despite this, the Angels remain an important part of the Autry legacy, with the team's first World Series championship in 2002 dedicated to Gene Autry. The interchange of Interstate 5 and State Route 134, near the Autry National Center in Los Angeles, is also signed as the "Gene Autry Memorial Interchange".

The Autry Museum of the American West in LA was founded in 1988

The Autry Museum of the American West, formerly known as the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, was founded in 1988 in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. The museum was established by actor, businessman, and baseball team owner Gene Autry, along with Jackie Autry, Joanne Hale, and Monte Hale.

The museum's original collection featured much of Gene Autry's personal collection of Western art and memorabilia, as well as contributions from his friends and other Western film stars. Since its founding, the museum has expanded its focus to explore and share the inclusive history of the American West and its multiple cultures. The Autry Museum is dedicated to connecting the past with the present to inspire our shared future.

The Autry Museum of the American West has two sites, with the main location in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, and the second site, the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, about 8 miles (13 km) away. The Griffith Park location includes 21,000 paintings, sculptures, costumes, textiles, firearms, tools, toys, musical instruments, and other objects. The museum presents a wide range of exhibitions and public programs, including lectures, films, theatre, festivals, family events, and music. It also performs scholarship, research, and educational outreach, attracting about 150,000 visitors annually.

The Southwest Museum of the American Indian, located in Mt. Washington, Los Angeles, is one of the most significant museums dedicated to Native culture in the United States. The collection includes over 238,000 pieces of Native American art and artifacts, with an emphasis on the cultures of California and the Southwestern United States. The Autry Museum also includes the Library and Archives, which supports scholarly work in Western history and arts through the collections of the Braun Research Library and the Autry Library.

Gene Autry was the first owner of the Angels

Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry, also known as the "Singing Cowboy", was the first owner of the Los Angeles Angels. Autry initially expressed interest in acquiring the radio broadcast rights to the team's games when Major League Baseball announced plans to add an expansion team in Los Angeles in 1960. However, baseball executives were so impressed by his approach that he was persuaded to become the owner of the franchise. Autry purchased the rights to the expansion team for $350,000 in 1960 when Walter O'Malley, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, pulled his team's game broadcasts from Autry's station. The team, initially called the Los Angeles Angels upon its 1961 debut, moved to suburban Anaheim in 1966 and was renamed the California Angels.

Autry was a popular figure in baseball and was known for his passion for the game. He was also a generous owner, spending lavishly on free agents and treating players and managers as friends. In addition to his career in baseball, Autry was also an actor, musician, singer, composer, and rodeo performer. He gained fame by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades. He was also a successful investor, with holdings in real estate, radio, and television. Autry died of lymphoma on October 2, 1998, at his home in Studio City, California.

The Angels hold a special place in honouring Autry's legacy. The team retired the number 26 in his honour, reflecting the idea that Autry's unwavering support made him the "26th man" on the roster. Additionally, the interchange of Interstate 5 and State Route 134, near the Autry National Center in Los Angeles, is named the "Gene Autry Memorial Interchange". The Angels' first World Series championship win in 2002 was dedicated to Autry, and star outfielder Tim Salmon held Autry's cowboy hat aloft during the on-field celebration.

Gene Autry died in 1998

Gene Autry, the owner of the Los Angeles Angels, passed away on October 2, 1998, at the age of 91. He died of lymphoma at his home in Studio City, California, and was buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.

Autry was a famous and well-loved entertainer, with a career spanning multiple industries, including music, film, television, and rodeo. He was also a successful businessman, owning a television station and several radio stations in Southern California. In addition, he was a minority owner of the minor-league Hollywood Stars in the 1950s. However, he is perhaps best known for his ownership of the Los Angeles Angels, then known as the California Angels, from 1961 until his death.

Autry's interest in the Angels began in 1960 when Major League Baseball announced plans to add an expansion team in Los Angeles. He initially expressed interest in acquiring the radio broadcast rights to the team's games, but baseball executives were so impressed by his approach that they persuaded him to become the owner of the franchise. The team, called the Los Angeles Angels upon its debut in 1961, moved to Anaheim in 1966 and was renamed the California Angels.

In 1995, Autry sold a quarter share of the team to the Walt Disney Company and a controlling interest the following year, with the remaining share to be transferred after his death. Despite his ownership stake, Autry never saw his beloved Angels win the World Series, as their first championship came in 2002. However, their victory was dedicated to him, and the interchange of Interstate 5 and State Route 134 near the Autry National Center in Los Angeles was signed as the "Gene Autry Memorial Interchange".

The Autry family sold the Angels for $150 million

The Autry family no longer owns the Los Angeles Angels. In 1995, Gene Autry sold a quarter share of the team to the Walt Disney Company and a controlling interest the following year, with the remaining share to be transferred after his death. In 1998, Disney bought the remaining 75% of the team from the Autry family for between $100 million and $120 million, with some sources stating the exact figure to be $150 million.

Gene Autry, the "singing cowboy", was the first owner of the Los Angeles Angels when they joined the American League in 1961. The team was initially called the Los Angeles Angels upon its debut, but it moved to suburban Anaheim in 1966 and was renamed the California Angels, and then the Anaheim Angels from 1997 until 2005, when it became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Autry had a prolific career in the entertainment industry, including in music, film, and television. He was also a founding owner of the California Angels franchise of Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1997. He died in 1998 at the age of 91.

The sale of the Angels to Disney was part of the company's strategy to own a suite of sports entertainment assets, including the N.H.L.'s Anaheim Mighty Ducks, that it could exploit on television, in movies, and at its Disneyland theme parks. However, these investments ultimately failed to pay off for Disney and proved to be financial losses.

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