Tom Mann, shown with Tina Booker, most recently hosted "Tom & Tina's Outdoors." fishing show. Tom Mann died Friday at the age of 72.
Legendary angler Tom Mann passed away Friday night in Birmingham, Ala. He was 72.
Earlier in the week Mann had undergone his second open heart surgery.
Mann was a bass fishing pioneer and entrepreneur. He started Mann's Bait Company in 1958. The business grew into a multimillion-dollar company when he sold it in 1979.
A two-time B.A.S.S. Tournament winner, Mann was a consistent top contender for 17 years, competed in the first seven Bassmaster Classic Tournaments and was named the Pro's Pro by his peers before retiring in 1984.
His fishing show was broadcast on ESPN, TNN, Sports Southern, the Sunshine Network, The Outdoor Channel and most recently, Tom and Tina Outdoors with co-host Tina Booker on the Sportsman Channel.
Tom Mann's Fish World on U.S. Highway 431 was a popular tourist attraction until it closed in 2003.
Mann was inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame and served on the advisory board of the Bass Angler Sportsman Society.
Services are set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Calvary Baptist Church in Eufaula with visitation at the church starting at 11 a.m.
Mann is survived by his wife, Ann Brandenburg Mann, three daughters and a son, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.