ESPN, ABC Anchor John Saunders Dead at 61

ESPN has announced that longtime anchor and personality John Saunders has died.

"John was an extraordinary talent and his friendly, informative style has been a warm welcome to sports fans for decades. He was one of the most significant and influential members of the ESPN family, as a colleague and mentor, and he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this extremely difficult time," said John Skipper, President of ESPN.

The announcement was made during Wednesday's live edition of SportsCenter. Cause of death is not yet known. The anchor was 61.

Saunders' ESPN career began in 1986. He hosted NFL PrimeTime in the late 1980s and later helped with ABC's studio coverage of college football.

This story first appeared at Womanista.