Roy Halladay, one of the best starting pitchers of his generation, has died in a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast. He was 40.

Halladay's ICON A5 aircraft went down about 10 miles off the coast of St. Petersburg. He reportedly was piloting the plane and was the only passenger.

Halladay pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a two-time winner of the Cy Young Award and an eight-time All-Star over his 16-year career.

“We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy Halladay's untimely death,” the Phillies said in a statement. “There are no words to describe the sadness that the entire Phillies family is feeling over the loss of one of the most respected human beings to ever play the game. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we pass along our condolences to Brandy, Ryan and Braden.”

His Twitter account, from which he was sharing tweets and images as recently as Nov. 5, included a bio description that read: “Courage is not being fearless but rather acting in spite of the existence of fear!”

Sharing a video from the window of his plane Oct. 13, Halladay posted on Twitter: “What do clouds feel like? I didn’t know either until I got my new Icon A5! I’m getting bruises on my arms from constantly pinching myself!”

The Denver native was the first overall pick in the 1995 draft. In 2010, he pitched a perfect game against the Florida Marlins.

Halladay, affectionately known by his nickname “Doc,” retired in 2013.

He is survived by his wife, Brandy Halladay, and two children.

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