Edward "Buddy" LeRoux, former part owner of the Boston Red Sox and real estate baron, has died. He was 77.

He died Monday in a New Hampshire hospital, according to the Lord Funeral Home in Wolfeboro.

LeRoux started as a trainer for the Red Sox from 1966-74. He served as the team's vice president from 1978-79, then became an owner as part of a group that included Haywood Sullivan and Jean Yawkey, widow of longtime team owner Tom Yawkey.

He was forced to sell his share of the team after a failed attempt to wrest control from Sullivan and Yawkey.

The "Le Coup LeRoux" occurred June 6, 1983, on a night to honor former Red Sox player Tony Conigliaro, whose career was derailed after he was hit in the face with a fastball in 1967.

Conigliaro was in a coma after suffering a stroke the previous year when LeRoux announced he had enough support from the team's partners to take control of the team. The announcement turned the Conigliaro celebration into an afterthought.

Red Sox fans were outraged by the timing, and Sullivan and Yawkey later took LeRoux to court, where he lost. Yawkey purchased LeRoux's piece of the Red Sox in 1987.

LeRoux invested extensively in real estate in New England and Florida. He said he made his first successful real estate sale at age 9 when he bought a lot in Woburn using $25 he earned working as a farmhand.

He also owned the Suffolk Downs horse racing track in Boston from 1986-89.

LeRoux was considered a pioneer after opening New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Woburn, one of the first facilities that focused on treatment of sports-related injuries. He also served on commissions for the disabled and physical fitness.