Kevin O’Malley, former Padres co-owner and baseball executive, dies at 50 after sepsis complications, remembered for family legacy and leadership.
Kevin O’Malley, a respected baseball executive and former co-owner of the San Diego Padres, passed away on June 30, 2026, at the age of 50 due to complications from sepsis.
His death marks the loss of a figure who carried forward one of baseball’s most storied family legacies while also building his own reputation in both Major League and minor league baseball.
O’Malley was the grandson of Hall of Fame Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, who moved the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958, and the son of Peter O’Malley, who served as Dodgers president from 1970 to 1998.
Growing up in a family so deeply tied to the sport, Kevin’s life reflected a devotion to baseball and to his loved ones.
Born in 1976, O’Malley attended Harvard‑Westlake School in Los Angeles, where he played baseball before continuing his education at the University of Pennsylvania.
His academic achievements matched his athletic passion, and he later earned an MBA from the Wharton School in 2004. His early career included work in the Dodgers organization in Montana and Florida during the late 1990s, where he gained valuable experience in player development and team operations.
These years laid the foundation for his later ventures in minor league baseball and professional ownership.
O’Malley co‑founded Top of the Third Inc., which operated the Stockton Mudville Nine and Visalia Rawhide minor league teams in California.
His leadership helped sustain these franchises, which played an important role in developing talent and keeping baseball vibrant in smaller communities.
His work in the minors reflected his belief that baseball was more than just a business; it was a cultural institution that connected families and communities across generations. This philosophy carried into his later role as part of the Padres’ ownership group.
In 2012, O’Malley joined forces with the Seidler and O’Malley families to purchase the San Diego Padres. Over the next fourteen years, he was part of an ownership team that invested in the franchise and guided it through a period of growth and change.
The group eventually sold the team in April 2026, just months before his passing. During his tenure, O’Malley was known for his steady presence and his commitment to maintaining the integrity of the game while supporting the Padres’ efforts to compete at the highest level.
His involvement in the Padres reflected his lifelong dedication to baseball, a passion inseparable from his family’s legacy.
Beyond baseball, O’Malley demonstrated entrepreneurial skill and business leadership. In 2010, he founded Carmelina Capital Partners, a private investment firm where he served as managing partner.
His work in finance showed the breadth of his talents and his ability to succeed beyond the diamond. Yet even in his business ventures, he remained closely tied to the values of teamwork, perseverance, and loyalty that defined his approach to baseball and life.
Kevin O’Malley is survived by his wife, Allison, and their children Grace, Brendan, Brooke, and Margaret. He also leaves behind his siblings Katherine and Brian, as well as nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, Annette.
His father, Peter O’Malley, reflected on his son’s life with the words, Family came first, but baseball was a close second. That sentiment captures the essence of Kevin’s legacy: a man who balanced devotion to his loved ones with a lifelong commitment to the sport that shaped his family’s history.
O’Malley’s passing is a reminder of the enduring impact of the O’Malley family on baseball. From Walter’s groundbreaking move to Los Angeles to Peter’s decades of leadership and now Kevin’s contributions in both minor league and Major League Baseball, the family has left an indelible mark on the game.
Kevin’s life was a continuation of that story but also uniquely his own. He will be remembered not only as a steward of baseball tradition but also as a husband, father, and businessman whose influence extended far beyond the ballpark.
His death at 50 is a profound loss, but his legacy will endure in the communities he touched and in the sport he loved.
