Al Kaline -- an MLB Hall of Famer who was affectionately known as "Mr. Tiger" -- has died at the age of 85.
A family friend of the Detroit legend confirmed the news with the Detroit Free Press on Monday ... although a cause of death was not immediately known.
Kaline was an unbelievable baseball player for the Tigers from 1953-1974 ... making 18 All-Star games and earning 10 gold gloves.
The former outfielder logged 3,007 hits, had a career batting average of .297 and slugged 399 home runs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980 .