ESPN Anchor Stuart Scott Passes Away Aged 49

SportsCenter anchor Stuart Scott, known for his quirky catch phrases such as “Boo-ya” and “As cool as the other side of the pillow" - which enthralled viewers for decades - died Sunday after a battle with cancer, ESPN says. He was 49.

Scott died after going through several surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and clinical trials in his fight against cancer, the station said in a press release. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2007.

“ESPN and everyone in the sports world have lost a true friend and a uniquely inspirational figure in Stuart Scott,” said ESPN president John Skipper. “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.”

On Sunday morning, NFL Network broadcaster Rich Eisen's voice broke as he reported the death of his good friend, with whom he worked on "SportsCenter" broadcasts. "

I love this man," Eisen said.

Scott is survived by his two daughters - Taelor, 19, and Sydni, 15 - and his girlfriend, Kristin Spodobalski, in addition to his parents O. Ray and Jacqueline Scott; and his three siblings Stephen Scott, Synthia Kearney and Susan Scott.

“Taelor and Sydni, I love you guys more than I will ever be able to express,” Scott said in July while accepting the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPYs. “You two are my heartbeat. I am standing on this stage here tonight because of you.”

As he accepted the award named for former N.C. State coach Jim Valvano, who died of cancer in 1993, Scott noted: "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," Scott said. "So live. Live. Fight like hell."

Scott joined ESPN in 1993 and became a top voice on the channel’s SportsCenter program, aided by his enthusiasm and colorful descriptions of sports stories.