For Willie Randolph, it’s a bunch of photos he took at a Yankee Stadium suite a few years back.

For Ken Singleton, it’s an autographed baseball from many years back.

And Reggie Jackson considers himself fortunate to have spent time with Hank Aaron just a few months ago.

So many black ballplayers looked to Aaron as a role model because of his accomplishments and what he overcame to post them. Hence the news Friday of Aaron’s passing at age 86 hit them hard and compelled them to reflect on their interactions with the revered gentleman as well as pay tribute to him.

“It ruined my day,” Singleton, the YES Network broadcaster who opposed Aaron from 1970-76, said in a telephone interview. “Iconic is not that word. Regal is.”

The Hall of Famer Jackson, too, described Aaron as “regal.”

“He was a total inspiration for me,” the beloved Yankee Randolph said. “Kind of the way I viewed, as a youngster, Jackie Robinson.”

In Randolph’s very first game as a Yankee, on April 8, 1976, he opposed Aaron’s Milwaukee Brewers at County Stadium. At some point that year (Aaron’s last as a player), Randolph recalled, he introduced himself to the legend: “I remember walking over to him, shaking his hand and saying, ‘Mr. Aaron, I’m Willie Randolph.’ He said, ‘It’s nice to meet you, son.’ He was unbelievably soft and gracious.” The men later became more friendly through the years, Randolph said, and the former Mets manager (and player) planned to scroll through his phone to look at the photos they took at that Yankees game.

The longtime second baseman marveled at how Aaron became the game’s all-time home run king, leaping over Babe Ruth, in 1974 despite receiving hate mail and threats from thousands of racists. With a chuckle, Randolph said, “I never could’ve survived it. Just how tough it was to carry on just the dreams of young players like me.” Randolph said he even channeled Aaron, imitating his bat waggle (in his mind, at least), to get out of slumps.

Singleton procured his Aaron autograph in 1972 or 1973, he said, and it currently rests with his grandson Jackson. “I’m going to call him tonight and make sure he knows what Hank Aaron was all about,” Singleton said. “If people say they’re going to kill you, it had to be on his mind a little bit as he was getting closer and closer [to the home run record].”

The Hall of Famer Jackson met with Aaron in November to speak for a documentary on Jackson’s life.

“He still was concerned about a lack of minorities in the game,” said Jackson, who added he spoke with Aaron (who worked in the Braves’ front office for decades) about being part of an ownership group to pursue a team. The lack of minority representation at the upper management level “was painful for him,” Jackson said.

Aaron’s impact resonated enough that it extended into generations of black players who didn’t watch him play, or weren’t even born yet. Outfielder Brian Jordan became friendly with Aaron when he signed with the Braves for the 1999 season, and after studying about what Aaron endured, he marveled at his low-key nature.

“I lost a hero,” Jordan said. “As a black boy growing up, loving the game of baseball, Hank Aaron was that guy. He was a huge reason why I selected the Atlanta Braves as a free agent. It was an opportunity for me to meet my hero.

“He is that example that I aspire to be. The hope, the opportunity he’s given so many kids today, young kids like myself watching him … how strong he was throughout the ignorance of this country was amazing. How he’s just stayed humble through it all.”

The players all will cherish their experiences with the legend Aaron, who just by being himself, helped them and so many more.