Friends, fans remember Montreal's beloved 'Grand Orange'

Former Expos great Rusty Staub died Thursday morning and fans are sharing their sadness, and their thanks for what he brought to the game. 

His former Expos and Astros teammate, Claude Raymond, said he still kept in touch with Staub and was planning on calling him for his 74th birthday on Sunday.

"We were a family," Raymond said of his years playing with Staub. "We stuck together, we went to the movies together, we went to the bars together, we went to eat together." 

"We had a lot of fun together," he said.

• Rusty Staub, Canada's first major league superstar, dead at 73

In Montreal, Staub is fondly remembered for playing for the Expos in Jarry Park.

"His home runs over the right field fence in Jarry Park were awesome and often!" former Expos owner Charles Bronfman said in a statement Thursday.

"The Rusty Staub story marked the beginning of the Expos as Nos Amours. He was an instant hero," Bronfman said.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante tweeted that City Hall would be lit in orange Thursday night to honour "Le Grande Orange." 

Known for his red hair, images of Staub are being circulated on social media from when he was the poster boy for Orange Crush.

Toronto Star baseball columnist and former Expos public relations director Richard Griffin tweeted that Staub was largely responsible for baseball becoming popular in Montreal as quickly as it did.

Beyond Montreal, Staub is fondly remembered by baseball fans south of the border. 

After he played for Montreal, he went on to play for the Mets, Astros, Tigers and Rangers.

Do you have a memory of Rusty Staub? Share your story in the comments or write to webquebec@cbc.ca