Phillies hero and longtime Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher Roy Halladay was killed Tuesday afternoon when his plane crashed off Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, police said.

Halladay, who was known for his love of flying, apparently was flying solo in the plane when it went down off Tampa.

Halladay, who starred for 12 years as the ace of the Toronto Blue Jays, became the mainstay of the Phillies staff when he arrived in 2010. He was part of the Phils’ blockbuster pitching staff known as the Four Aces, along with Cole Hamel, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt.

“Doc,” as he was known, pitched a perfect game against the Florida Marlins as a Phillie on May 29.

He followed that up with a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of the National League Division Series.

Halladay was 40. He leaves behind a wife and two young sons.

Not many details of the crash have yet been released. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Check back for updates on this developing story.