Sam Sianis Dies At 91, Longtime Owner Of Chicago’s Billy Goat Tavern

Sam Sianis, the longtime owner of Chicago’s Billy Goat Tavern, died at 91 on Friday morning, according to Axios and WGN-TV.

“CHICAGO (WLS) -- The longtime owner of the iconic Billy Goat Tavern has died, the restaurant said on social media Friday afternoon”

ABC7 Chicago

Axios said Sianis was “Legendary Billy Goat Tavern owner Sam Sianis, 91, died Friday morning surrounded by his family,” and WGN-TV reported he “died peacefully Friday morning at the age of 91.”

ABC7 Chicago

WGN-TV described the tavern on lower Michigan Avenue downtown and said Sianis took over from his uncle William “Billy Goat” Sianis in 1970.

The Chicago Tribune reported Sianis died in Endeavor Swedish Hospital in Chicago early Friday morning, and it said he had recently had gall bladder surgery but died of complications of old age.

In a statement carried by multiple outlets, the Billy Goat Tavern said “Sam passed away peacefully this morning in his sleep, surrounded by his loving family.”

NBC 5 Chicago quoted Richard Roeper recalling that “You had to go to the Billy Goat. You wanted to go to the Billy Goat, and Sam was the host of the entire operation.”

NBC 5 Chicago also featured Ray Long saying, “It’s a sad day because Sam is the institution, and Sam made this place great,” and it described the tavern as a lunchtime home to Chicagoans from every walk of life.

Block Club Chicago

Brisa Lopez, who has worked at Billy Goat Tavern for 24 years, told NBC 5 Chicago that “This place got really famous with the cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger,” and she said Sianis “was happy about it. He loved cheeseburgers.”

WGN Radio’s Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano conversations with Sianis were recorded at the Billy Goat and included a segment that recalled the 1945 World Series curse story involving William “Billy Goat” Sianis and the goat.

The Chicago Tribune quoted Sianis’ son William saying, “He always talked reverently about his uncle and about Greece, and he carried with him many traditions.”

The Billy Goat Tavern’s statement, as quoted by ABC7 Chicago, said “Sam was more than a restaurateur; he was a Chicago legend,” and it added “Above all, he was a devoted family man and a cherished friend to countless people whose lives he touched.”

“CHICAGO — Sam Sianis, the longtime owner and patriarch of the legendary Billy Goat Tavern, has died”

Block Club Chicago

Axios said Sianis is survived by his wife Irene, his children and grandchildren, and it noted services are being planned.

The Chicago Tribune reported Sianis was born Sotirios Athanasios Sianis in the early morning of Dec. 12, 1934, in Palaiopyrgos, Greece, and it said his mother Theofana died an hour after his birth.

The Chicago Sun-Times said Sianis opened the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Michigan Avenue in 1964, and it reported he died from natural causes at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital.

The Chicago Tribune said Sianis’ uncle William “Billy Goat” Sianis set the curse after being refused entrance to Wrigley Field on Oct. 6, 1945, and it quoted the note to team owner Philip Wrigley: “Who stinks now?”