New York and the world on Wednesday celebrated the life of Yankee legend Yogi Berra, who entertained generations of Americans with his great play on the field and laugh-out-loud quips off the diamond.

Berra, 90, died Tuesday night at a rest home in West Caldwell, NJ, bringing to a close one of the most storied lives in sports and popular culture.

Even President Obama, busy entertaining Pope Francis in Washington, stopped to weigh in on Berra’s death.

“Yogi Berra was an American original — a Hall of Famer and humble veteran; prolific jokester and jovial prophet,” Obama said in a statement.

“He epitomized what it meant to be a sportsman and a citizen, with a big heart, competitive spirit, and a selfless desire to open baseball to everyone, no matter their background.”

Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra was born on May 12, 1925, in St. Louis, served in the Navy, took part in the Normandy invasion on D-Day and earned a Purple Heart before he gained fame in pinstripes.

He made his Yankees debut in 1946, beginning one of baseball’s greatest careers.

Berra played on 10 World Series championship Yankee teams and won the MVP award three times. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972, and the Yankees retired the uniform number 8 to honor him and another great catcher, Bill Dickey.

Mayor de Blasio on Wednesday ordered all flags at city buildings to fly at half-staff until sunset on Thursday.

“The people of New York City have lost Yogi Berra — and one of the people I think defines life in this city,” de Blasio said. “We all looked up to Yogi. We all felt a personal sense of connection.”

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said the Hall of Fame catcher was not just a great ballplayer, but a great man.

“To those who didn’t know Yogi personally, he was one of the greatest baseball players and Yankees of all time,” noted Jeter, who retired after last season with five World Series rings. “To those lucky ones who did, he was an even better person.”

The Captain said he’ll always remember Berra for his big heart.

“To me he was a dear friend and mentor,” the surefire Hall of Fame shortstop wrote on his Web site. “He will always be remembered for his success on the field, but I believe his finest quality was how he treated everyone with sincerity and kindness.”

A statue of the Yanks great outside the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center on the campus of Montclair State University was covered in flowers left by baseball fans mourning Berra’s death.

Museum founder David Kaplan refused to be down about it, and instead focused on the exemplary life Berra led.

“We are trying to celebrate, and remember, 90 years isn’t bad,” said Kaplan, 59. “His life is just a wonderful road map for any young person about the importance of making good choices and doing things the right way and being honorable and respectful. “

But as upbeat as Berra was, Kaplan said he could sense the loss Yogi felt after his wife of 65 years, Carmen, died last year.

“He lost a huge part of his soul. He lost his soulmate,” Kaplan said.

Scott Laiacona, 60, of Garden City, LI, was on his way to work in Paterson, NJ, but made a detour to the museum when he learned of Yogi’s passing.

“It’s a sad day for baseball. I’m here to honor Yogi,” he said. “He meant a lot to me. Growing up I idolized him.”

While Berra was one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, he’s equally well known for his Yogi-isms, his logic-defying quips that somehow made sense, such as “It ain’t over ’til it’s over” and “I really didn’t say everything I said.”

Hall of Famer Johnny Bench on Wednesday tweeted out a picture of the Western Union telegram Berra sent him in 1980 after the Cincinnati Reds star broke Yogi’s then-record for home runs by a catcher.

The telegram was pure Yogi: “Congratulations on breaking my home run record last night. I always thought it would stand until it was broken.”

High atop empty Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, an electronic board listed Berra’s name, a picture of him in his playing days, the years 1925-2015 and the number 8.

South Bronx resident Charlie Lemus, 56, said he felt compelled to drop by after hearing of Berra’s death.

Lemus, smiling with his hand on his heart, said he’s a lifelong fan of Yogi and his Yogi-isms: “I loved the way he talked — always encouraging others to be a good player and a good person.”

Charlie Powell, another Bronx resident, lit eight prayer candles — four in blue and four in white — for Berra in front of Gate 4.

He clutched a glossy picture of himself meeting Berra at the old Yankee Stadium in 2008.

Berra was having a tough time walking that day, Bell recalled.

“I helped walk him into the old Stadium. No one knew who he was,” said Powell, 63. “I said to him, ‘It’s not over ’til it’s over’ and he said, ‘Most of the time.’ ”

Louisa Del Valle, a 76-year-old Bronx resident, went to Yankee Stadium to pay her respects. She said it reminded her how much her late husband loved Yogi and the Yanks.

“When I heard [about Berra’s death], I had to come see for myself. I feel sad,” she said.

“We would sit in the bleachers and eat peanuts [watching Yogi and the Yankees]. It was fun and good memories.”

Berra’s rise to greatness came just after his service in World War II, in an era when Italian immigrants were still trying to find their footing on US soil.

“Yogi was an Italian-American hero,” John Fratta, chairman of the National Italian American Action Network, said Wednesday.

“It [Berra’s early career] was a difficult time for Italian-Americans. Italian-Americans had to prove their worth, there was a stigma of criminality. Then you had guys like Yogi and Joe D come along and shatter all those images.”