Pro football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, the unstoppable running back who retired at the peak of his brilliant career to become an actor, as well as a prominent civil rights advocate during the 1960s has died. He was 87. A spokeswoman for brown's family said he passed away peacefully in his Los Angeles home on Thursday night with his wife Monique by his side. One of the greatest players in football history and one of the game's first superstars, Brown was chosen the NFL's most valuable player in 1965 and shattered the league's record books in a short career spanning 1957 to 65. I'm geffen ghoul ball.