Words by Nadia Shakur
Longtime ESPN anchor Stuart Scott, 49, passed away Sunday morning after battling cancer since 2007. Scott was a notable personality at ESPN, with his unwavering work ethic and charisma.
Scott worked for the ESPN network for 21 years and during that time he not only had a major influence on his peers but transformed the network into a fun-filled place of high energy and laughter with his witty charisma and charm.
ESPN President John Skipper released a statement saying “ESPN and everyone in the sports world have lost a true friend and a uniquely inspirational figure in Stuart Scott. 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.”
The Chicago native spoke on his fight with cancer when he accepted the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPYS on July 16, 2013. In his acceptance speech he left us with the powerful message of “When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live. So live. Live. Fight like hell. And when you get too tired to fight, lay down and rest, and let somebody else fight for you.” Scott is survived by his parents, his two daughters Taylor,19, and Sydni,15, and girlfriend Kristin Spodobalski.
Rest in Peace Stuart Scott, you were a class act.
Follow us on twitter@hiphopenquirer