Bill Lajoie, who was the general manager for the 1984 World Series-winning Tigers, died Tuesday at age 76. Lajoie had been working as a special assistant to the Pirates. "Bill played an integral role in building the Detroit Tigers into a world championship team in 1984 and a division title winner in 1987," Tigers general manager David Dombrowski said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Bill was a respected and highly regarded baseball executive who made significant contributions to the Tigers franchise and the game of baseball." "Mr. Lajoie impacted the lives and careers of a countless number of players, scouts and front office executives," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. "He was a terrific evaluator of talent, an outstanding baseball man, a tremendous mentor and a better friend."