CHICAGO — The owner of an iconic bar in the shadow of Wrigley Field has died.

Beth Murphy, the owner of Murphy’s Bleachers on the corner of Sheffield and Waveland Avenues, passed away on Monday, WGN News has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the establishment said she had been battling cancer on and off for the last five years.

“It is with great sadness we announce that our owner and the heart of Murphy’s Bleachers, Beth Murphy, peacefully passed away early this morning,” said Murphy’s Bleachers in a statement on social media. “The Murphy’s family and all of us here would like to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time. May she Rest In Peace.”

She also ran Murphy’s Rooftop Company along with Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro
located at 3905 North Lincoln Avenue.

“We will miss you Beth,” was posted on the sign outside the bar on Monday morning.

The Cubs have also put a tribute to Murphy on the marquee at Wrigley Field on Monday afternoon.

The Murphy family has owned the bar since 1980, when former Chicago Police officer Jim Murphy, Beth’s husband, purchased what was then Ray’s Bleachers at 3655 North Sheffield Avenue.

He owned the bar till his passing in 2003, and it was then that Beth took it over. Murphy’s Bleachers has remained a familiar gathering place for Cubs fans through the years, enduring as many things around “Wrigleyville” have changed over the last decade.

She was a prominent member of the Lakeview community and was influential in the area surrounding Wrigley Field. Many remember her as the passionate leader of the Wrigleyville Rooftops Owners Association, who battled with the Cubs for their rights as owners when the team began its “1060 Project” to renovate Wrigley Field in the mid-to-late 2010s.

One of the biggest debates was over the videoboards, which blocked some of the rooftop’s views, which were eventually installed in 2015.