John McEnroe, Sr., Powerful Manhattan Attorney, Dies At 81

A funeral Mass for John McEnroe, Sr., a powerful Manhattan attorney and father of one of the greatest tennis players in history will be held Friday, Feb. 24 at 11 a.m. at the Church of St. Thomas More on the Upper East side, according to a death notice posted in The New York Times.

McEnroe also owned a home in Southampton.

McEnroe died Saturday at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx. He was 81. His cause of death was not made available.

"Today with the passing of John McEnroe, Sr. our thoughts and prayers are with the entire McEnroe family," former tennis star Billie Jean King tweeted Tuesday.

McEnroe was a partner at the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP law firm where he practiced corporate law, including acquisitions, mergers and public and private financings. Later in life, as two of his sons established themselves among tennis greats, he represented them in contract negotiations and endorsement deals.

McEnroe's parents were Irish immigrants in the early 1900s who settled in New York. He met his wife, Kay, at a bar across the street from the hospital where she worked. They settled down and started a family, and McEnroe attended Fordham Law School by night while working for ad agencies by day.

Before his death, McEnroe and his wife split their time between the Upper East Side and Southhampton homes.

His son John McEnroe, Jr., is recognized as one of the greatest players of all time in the sport, winning seven individual Grand Slam titles and nine doubles Grand Slam titles. Another one of his sons, Patrick, also played professional tennis.

John Jr. and Patrick have appeared on television as tennis commenters.

At first, McEnroe's wife wanted their son John to finish his education at Stanford and pursue a career "like a dentist," according to an Irish Central profile of the family. Tennis legend Arthur Ashe recognized John Jr.'s raw talent and persuaded the family to do otherwise.

“Arthur told Kay that she sounded like his grandmother,” McEnroe said, according to Irish Central. “All his grandmother wanted was for Arthur to get a good education. And he told us that he believed most tennis players should go to college but there were exceptions – John being one of them.

“So Arthur told Kay, ‘Let John have a chance and go for a tennis career, then he can come back and buy Stanford!’”

Read the full profile of McEnroe here.

He is survived by his wife, Katherine; their sons John, Mark and Patrick; and many grandchildren.

This story was written by Marc Torrence.