McEnroe also had a house in Southampton.
McEnroe died Saturday at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx. He was 81 years old. The cause of his death was not known.
“Today with the passing of John McEnroe, Sr., our thoughts and prayers are with the entire McEnroe family.” Former tennis star Billie Jean King tweeted on Tuesday.
McEnroe was a partner at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP where he practiced corporate law, including acquisitions, mergers and public and private financings. Later in life, as two of his sons established themselves among tennis greats, he represented them in contract negotiations and endorsement deals.
McEnroe's parents were Irish immigrants in the early 1900s who settled in New York. He met his wife, Kay, at a bar across the street from the hospital where she worked. They settled down and started a family, and McEnroe attended Fordham Law School at night while working for advertising agencies by day.
Before his death, McEnroe and his wife split their time between Upper East Side and Southhampton homes.
His son John McEnroe, Jr. is recognized as one of the greatest players of all time in the sport, winning seven Grand Slam singles titles and nine Grand Slam doubles titles. Another of his sons, Patrick, also played professional tennis.
John Jr. and Patrick appeared on television as tennis commentators.
At first, McEnroe's wife wanted their son John to finish his studies at Stanford and pursue a career “like a dentist,” according to a profile of the family in Irish Central. Tennis legend Arthur Ashe recognized John Jr.'s raw talent and convinced the family to do the opposite.
“Arthur told Kay she sounded like his grandmother,” McEnroe said, according to Irish Central. “All his grandmother wanted was for Arthur to get a good education. And he told us that he thought most tennis players should go to college, but there were exceptions – John was one of them.
“So Arthur said to Kay, 'Let John have a chance and go for a career in tennis, then he can come back and buy Stanford!'
Read McEnroe's full profile here.
He is survived by his wife, Katherine; their sons John, Mark and Patrick; and many grandchildren.
This story was written by Marc Torrence.
