The New York Mets say former star Rusty Staub is recovering in a hospital in Ireland after a heart attack on an overseas flight.

The Mets said Saturday the 71-year-old Staub is "resting comfortably."

The team said Staub was on a flight from Ireland to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York this week when he had a medical emergency. The team said the plane was diverted back to Ireland, where Staub was treated.

Staub was an All-Star for the Houston Astros in 1967 and 1968 before being traded to the Montreal Expos where he became known as Le Grand Orange for his fiery red hair. A three-time All-Star with the Expos in his first stint with the team (he briefly returned in 1979), Staub had 29 homers in his first season in Montreal (1969) and a career-best 30 homers the following season when he had 94 runs batted in. Staub was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Staub played nine seasons for the Mets over two stints in the 1970s and 1980s. An outfielder, first baseman and pinch-hitter, he is a member of the Mets Hall of Fame and was a six-time All-Star in a 23-year career.

Staub was recently at Citi Field and has remained popular with Mets fans. His foundation raises money for the families of New York police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.