PHOTOS: Paul Tagliabue, former NFL commissioner, dies at 84

Paul Tagliabue, NFL commissioner for 17 years, died Sunday from heart failure at 84 years old.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Tagliabue鈥檚 family informed the league of his death in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Tagliabue served as commissioner from 1989 to 2006, and was succeeded by current commissioner Roger Goodell. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the centennial class in 2020.

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FILE – This May 23, 2006 file photo shows then NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue responding to questions during a news conference at the conclusion of the National Football League’s owners spring meeting in Denver. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

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FILE – Paul Tagliabue, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class, receives his gold jacket during the gold jacket dinner in Canton, Ohio, Aug. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - Paul Tagliabue, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class, receives his gold jacket during the gold jacket dinner in Canton, Ohio, Aug. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

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FILE – In this March 30, 2004, file photo, National Football League commissioner Paul Tagliabue smiles at a reporter questions during the NFL annual meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. Tagliabue’s new memoir 鈥淛ersey City to America’s Game,鈥� sticks to his journey and lets the facts speak for him. It’s a terrific ride, a look into the inner workings of the nation’s most popular sport. (AP Photo/Steve Mitchell)

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FILE – National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue gestures while testifying on Capitol Hill before the Senate subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition hearing on relocation of professional sports franchises, in this Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1995, file photo. Tagliabue鈥檚 17-year stint as commissioner, the NFL experienced labor peace, saw skyrocketing television deals, construction of new stadiums across the nation, and expansion to the current 32-team makeup. Despite those credentials that continued pro football鈥檚 surge to the top of American sports, it took until a special centennial class in 2020 for Tagliabue to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after retiring in 2006. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)

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FILE – National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue holds the official game ball to be used for the kickoff of Super Bowl XXIV in New Orleans, during a press conference in New York, in this Jan. 11, 1990, file photo. Tagliabue鈥檚 impact on the sport was massive 鈥� comparable to virtually any league leader. And after a year鈥檚 delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tagliabue will enter the Canton, Ohio shrine. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)

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FILE – Houston businessman Bob McNair, left, and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue smile during a press conference in Atlanta, in this Wednesday, Oct. 6, 1999, file photo. Houston rejoined the NFL, paying a record $700 million for an expansion franchise. During Paul Tagliabue鈥檚 17-year stint as commissioner, the NFL experienced labor peace, saw skyrocketing television deals, construction of new stadiums across the nation and expansion to the current 32-team makeup. Despite those credentials that continued pro football鈥檚 surge to the top of American sports, it took until a special centennial class in 2020 for Tagliabue to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after retiring in 2006. (AP Photo/W. A. Harewood, File)

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Paul Tagliabue, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class, and a former NFL commissioner, unveils his bust with presenter Art Shell during the induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)

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ATLANTA, UNITED STATES: NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue (R) introduces Daniel M. Snyder (L) after the NFL approved Snyder’s 800 million USD purchase of the Washington team at an NFL meeting in Atlanta 25 May, 1999. The NFL’s 31 team owners unanimously approved the sale of the team and Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in Washington, DC. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STEVE SCHAEFER/AFP via Getty Images)

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FILE – National Football League commissioner Paul Tagliabue, left, points to construction on the new New England Patriots football stadium as he examines the structure along with Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, center, and construction project director Terry McManus, right, at the site in Foxboro, Mass., in this Sunday, Nov. 19, 2000, file photo. During Tagliabue鈥檚 17-year stint as commissioner, the NFL experienced labor peace, saw skyrocketing television deals, construction of new stadiums across the nation, and expansion to the current 32-team makeup. (AP Photo/Jim Rogash, File)

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Paul Tagliabue, a former NFL commissioner and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class, speaks during the induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Paul Tagliabue alongside former Washington co-owner Fred Drasner and players LaVar Arrington and Chris Samuels.

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LaVar Arrington, second from right, the second pick of the NFL draft, stands with Chris Samuels, second from left, who was the third pick of the draft, Saturday, April 15, 2000 in New York. Both players were taken by the Washington team. On the left is NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Washington co-owner Fred Drasner is on the right. (AP Photo/Ed Betz)

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FILE – NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, right, speaks about rallying area businesses to provide long-term support for the New Orleans Saints, as team owner Tom Benson listens, in Metairie, La., in this Tuesday Feb. 14, 2006, file photo. One move Tagliabue never regretted was insisting the Saints remain a New Orleans franchise after owner Tom Benson sought to move the team to San Antonio following the devastation in the Big Easy from Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

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