Chris Mortensen Cause of Death

Chris Mortensen, a famous journalist who worked for ESPN, passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 72, his family announced.

Mortensen started working at ESPN in 1991 and was a regular on the network’s NFL shows and “SportsCenter.” He often broke important news stories for ESPN, like when he announced in 2016 that quarterback Peyton Manning was retiring from the NFL.

In 2016, Mortensen was given an award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and he was recognized during the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s ceremony in August of that year.

Jimmy Pitaro, who is the chairman of ESPN, said in a statement, “Mort was highly respected as a pioneer in his field and was loved by his coworkers. He was very good at covering the NFL and was one of the best for many years. We will miss him a lot, and our thoughts are with his family.”

Adam Schefter, who worked with Mortensen for a long time on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown,” wrote on social media, “This is a very sad day. Mort was one of the greatest sports reporters ever and a wonderful person. My deepest sympathies go out to his family and all who knew him. Mort was the best. We will always remember him.”

Mortensen was diagnosed with Stage 4 throat cancer in January 2016. He left his job at ESPN last year “to take care of my health, family, and faith,” he said.

Norby Williamson, who is an executive editor at ESPN, said in a statement, “Mort helped to raise the standard of journalism at ESPN. His honesty, attention to detail, and reporting skills made our news better. But more importantly, he was a great teammate and person. He cared about people, and that became part of ESPN’s culture.”

Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, said that Mortensen’s death was a “sad day for everyone in the NFL.”