Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees, died Tuesday at the age of 90.

The news was announced on Twitter by the Yogi Berra Museum, with Major League Baseball later tweeting: "We mourn the passing of Yankees icon and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra."

Berra's paradoxical witticisms – or "Yogiisms" – became just as famous as his play on the field. His quotes like, "It ain’t over 'til it's over" and "Baseball is 90 per cent mental, the other half is physical", have worked their way into the cultural vernacular.

Berra, whose given name was Lawrence Peter Berra, was born and raised in the Italian neighborhood of 'The Hill' in St. Louis. He got the nickname, 'Yogi', as a teenager from a friend and the name stuck. One of Berra's childhood friends was former Major Leaguer and broadcaster Joe Garagiola. Garagiola, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of Berra, later said: "Not only was I not the best catcher in the major leagues, I wasn't even the best catcher on my street."

Berra's expressions and colourful personality were instrumental while behind the plate. He famously told Hank Aaron to "hit with the label up on the bat", prompting a response from the former Atlanta Braves slugger.

Though just 5ft7, 185 pounds, Berra's quick bat speed resulted in 358 career home runs. He retired after 19 seasons in 1965 with a career batting average of .285 with 2,150 hits and 1,430 RBIs.

Defensively, Berra was among the best ever and won two gold gloves in 1951 and 1952. When he retired, he held the AL record for catcher putouts and chances accepted. Quick and mobile, Berra went a record 148 consecutive games without an error.

He spent 18 years with the Yankees and was part of 10 World Series championship teams. The 18-time All-Star was the American League MVP in 1951, 1954 and 1955 and his No. 8 was retired by the Yankees in 1972 – the same year Berra received induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Berra later managed in the big leagues from 1964 until 1989, with two stints at the helm of the Yankees, eight years with the New York Mets and four with the Houston Astros. As a player, coach or manager, Berra appeared in the World Series 21 times over 39 MLB seasons.

Berra capitalised on his "Yogiisms" with endorsement deals, most notably for Yoo-hoo, AFLAC, Entenmann’s and Stove Top.

Berra and his wife, Carmen, were married from 1949 until her death in 2014 following a stroke. The couple had three sons – two of whom played professional sports. Dale Berra was a big-league player for 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Yankees and Astros – where he played for his dad in 1987. Tim Berra was a member of the NFL's Baltimore Colts in 1974.