The Los Angeles Dodgers reported Saturday that former longtime organist Nancy Bea Hefley has died. She was 89.
The Dodgers took to social media to share condolences and best wishes to Hefley’s friends and family, and added that she delighted millions of fans for nearly 30 years.
A moment of silence for Hefley was conducted before Saturday night's game at Dodger Stadium.
Since 1971, Dodger Stadium has been the home to three organists, including Helen Dell, Hefley and Dieter Ruehle.
As a lifelong Dodger fan, and reporter who interviewed Hefley, the news of her passing stung sharply, like losing a beloved grandmother.
Dodger Stadium debut
Hefley made her Dodger Stadium debut in 1988, the year the team went on to beat the then Oakland A’s in the World Series.
She continued to play at Chavez Ravine until her retirement in 2015.
Before coming to Dodger Stadium, Hefley was a substitute organist for the Angels. When she wasn’t at a stadium, she played for over 55 years at Bellflower Baptist Church.
During the 1988 season, Hefley was known for playing the tune “Master of the House” from the musical Les Misérables whenever known musical theater aficionado Orel Hershiser would take the mound, the Los Angeles Times reported.
By 1994, Hefley had played for President Richard Nixon and George H. W. Bush, done talk shows, recorded movie soundtracks such as Major League II, and accompanied some of the world’s greatest singers, LA Weekly reported.
She confessed that when the Dodgers played badly, “It’s hard. The things you think of, you wouldn’t dare play.”
Before retiring, Hefley would commute from Nevada to Los Angeles for homestands. She was often accompanied by her husband, Bill, who died in 2019.
Tommy Edman homered right as Stephen Nelson was discussing the passing of longtime Dodger Stadium organist, Nancy Bea Hefley. pic.twitter.com/RZ3ZkvDM0a
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 30, 2025
Meeting Nancy Bea
With a smile of a loving grandmother, Hefley greeted my son and I in the Vin Scully Press Box at Dodger Stadium.
It was Wednesday, Aug 10, 2011, and we were invited to the stadium to cover the late 100-year-old Thaddeus “Ted” Kowalski of Apple Valley as he prepared to play the organ.
As Kowalski began playing, a handful of reporters left their laptops and game notes and focused their attention on the master musician from the Victor Valley.
“Oh, I love this organ, it sounds so good,” Kowalski told Hefley, as he continued to play, his music filling the stadium.
Nancy Bea Hefley, long time organist for the @Dodgers, has passed away. The good ol' days were watching a Dodgers game called by Vin Scully with Nancy Bea playing in the ...
