Longtime ESPN anchor Stuart Scott, who had been battling cancer since 2007, succumbed to the disease earlier today, Jan. 4, at age 49. Scott was a mainstay on the sports network, which he joined in 1993, sharing his signature phrase "as cool as the other side of the pillow" and relentless energy with a national audience that loved the commentator. The ESPN community shared their memories of the beloved anchor after the news broke.
"ESPN and everyone in the sports world have lost a true friend and a uniquely inspirational figure in Stuart Scott," ESPN President John Skipper said in a statement. "Who engages in mixed-martial arts training in the midst of chemotherapy treatments? Who leaves a hospital procedure to return to the set? His energetic and unwavering devotion to his family and to his work while fighting the battle of his life left us in awe, and he leaves a void that can never be replaced."
Scott was brought to the network in the early 1990s to help carry the ESPN2 brand. His style spoke to a younger generation, making the anchor a quick fan favorite on the network's flagship program, SportsCenter. He reported on the MLB playoffs, NBA Finals and the Final Four in addition to sitting down with sports legends like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. He also shined in the network's hilarious commercial spots.
Despite all his accomplishments in an anchor chair, Scott's crowning moment came in July 2014 when he received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYs ceremony. His words did more than inform that night: They inspired.
"When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer," he said. "You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live."
Scott is survived by his two daughters and girlfriend in addition to his parents and siblings.
Check out the anchor's emotional speech below:
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