Broadcasting pioneer and former NFL Pro Bowl cornerback Irv Cross died Sunday morning in Minnesota, the Philadelphia Eagles announced on the team’s website. He was 81.
Cross was the first African American sports analyst on national television when he worked for CBS Sports as an NFL analyst and commentator from 1971 to 1994.
He anchored the Emmy-winning show “The NFL Today,” from its inception in 1975 through 1989. Cross also covered other sports, including the NBA, track and field and gymnastics.
Photos: People we’ve lost in 2021
Photos: People we’ve lost in 2021
Rush Limbaugh, the conservative media icon who for decades used his perch as the king of talk radio to shape the politics of both the Republican Party and nation, died Wednesday, February 17, after a battle with cancer. He was 70.
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Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the Beat poet, publisher and founder of San Francisco’s beloved City Lights bookstore, died Monday, February 22, at the age of 101. Ferlinghetti was one of the last surviving members of the Beat Generation, and he played a key role in expanding the literary movement’s focus to the West Coast.
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Johnny Pacheco, considered the “godfather of salsa” for popularizing the Latin musical genre, died at the age of 85 according to his wife and and former record label on February 15.
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Renowned jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea died from “a rare form of cancer,” a statement on the musician’s website said on February 11. He was 79. Over a career that spanned more than 50 years, Corea worked with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Mann and Miles Davis.
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Larry Flynt, the Hustler magazine founder and outspoken First Amendment activist who built an adult entertainment empire, died on February 10, his nephew, Jimmy Flynt Jr., told CNN. He was 78.
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Mary Wilson, a founding member of “The Supremes,” died on February 8 at the age of 76, according to a statement from her longtime friend and publicist, Jay Schwartz.
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George P. Shultz, who played a central role in helping to bring the Cold War to an end as President Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state, died February 6 at the age of 100, according to the Hoover Institution at Stanford University where he worked for over 30 years.
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Susan Bayh, the former first lady of Indiana, died February 5 from complications due to glioblastoma, her family announced. She was 61.
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Christopher Plummer, the elegantly voiced, Oscar-winning actor perhaps most fondly remembered for “The Sound of Music,” died February 5 at the age of 91.
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Dianne Durham, who as a teen became the first Black gymnast to win a USA Gymnastics national championship, died on February 4. She was 52.
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Dustin Diamond, who played the role of Screech on the popular 1990s high school comedy “Saved by the Bell,” died February 1 after a recent cancer diagnosis, according to Diamond’s manager, Roger Paul. He was 44.
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Cicely Tyson, an award-winning icon of the stage and screen who broke barriers for Black actresses, died on January 28, her longtime manager Larry Thompson confirmed to CNN. She was 96.
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Cloris Leachman, the acclaimed actress whose one-of-a-kind comedic flair made her a legendary figure in film and television for seven decades, died on January 27. She was 94.
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Corky Lee, an award-winning photographer who captured the everyday lives and political activism of the Asian American community, died January 27 after a battle with Covid-19. He was 73.
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Sekou Smith, an NBA reporter and analyst for more than two decades, died from Covid-19 on January 26. He was 48. Smith covered the NBA for more than two decades, including 11 years with Turner Sports, which, like CNN, is owned by WarnerMedia.
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Larry King, the longtime CNN host who became an icon through his interviews with countless newsmakers, died January 23 at the age of 87.
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Hal Holbrook, a legendary Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor, died January 23 at the age of 95. Holbrook portrayed iconic author Mark Twain in one-man shows for more than six decades.
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Hank Aaron, the Baseball Hall of Famer who broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record and lived a life as an ambassador to the game, died January 22 at the age of 86.
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Hall of Fame baseball player Don Sutton died January 18 at the age of 75, according to a tweet from his son. Sutton, a right-handed pitcher, spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Joanne Rogers, the widow of Fred Rogers, star of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” died at age 92, Fred Rogers Productions announced on January 14.
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Siegfried Fischbacher, an illusionist known for working with exotic cats as one half of Siegfried & Roy, died from pancreatic cancer on January 13. He was 81.
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John Reilly, a longtime soap-opera actor known for his time on “General Hospital,” died on January 9, his daughter confirmed to CNN. He was 86.
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Tommy Lasorda, who spent seven decades in the Dodgers organization — first as a player in Brooklyn and then in Los Angeles as a two-time World Series-winning manager — died January 8 at the age of 93.
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British filmmaker and documentarian Michael Apted died January 7 at the age of 79. Apted directed the 1980 movie “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” which won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in the musical and comedy category. Other notable works he directed include “Agatha,” “Gorky Park,” “Gorillas in the Mist,” “Nell,” and “Enough.”
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Marion Ramsey, the actress best known for her role as Officer Laverne Hooks in the film franchise “Police Academy,” died January 7 at the age of 73.
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Chef and restaurateur Albert Roux died January 4 at the age of 85. Roux founded Britain’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Gavroche, and revolutionized London’s restaurant scene.
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Gerry Marsden, lead singer of the 1960s British rock band Gerry and the Pacemakers, died of a heart infection at the age of 78, his friend and radio broadcaster Pete Price announced on January 3. Marsden was known for his cover of the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the musical “Carousel.” It became the anthem for his hometown football team, Liverpool FC.
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Former NBA player and coach Paul Westphal died January 2 after a battle with brain cancer, according to the University of Southern California. He was 70. In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Westphal “one of the great all around players of his era.” He won an NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 1974.
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Hall of Fame football player Floyd Little died January 1 at the age of 78. Little rushed for more than 6,000 yards and scored 43 touchdowns for the Denver Broncos.
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“Irv was a pioneer who made significant contributions to the storied history and tradition of CBS Sports and, along with Phyllis George and Brent Musburger, set the standard for NFL pregame shows with THE NFL TODAY,” Sean McManus, the chairman of CBS Sports, said in a statement.
“He was a true gentleman and a trailblazer in the sports television industry and will be remembered for his accomplishments and the paths he paved for those who followed.”
‘A constant gentleman’
Musburger added in a statement, “I’ve been around all kinds of people, from every walk of life. I don’t know that I could give you one person who was nicer than Irv Cross. He was a constant gentleman.”
In 2009, Cross was the recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. The award, which is given annually, recognizes “long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.”
Before broadcasting, Cross played nine seasons in the NFL — six for the Philadelphia Eagles and three for the Los Angeles Rams.
He was drafted in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL draft by Philadelphia. After two Pro Bowl seasons with the Eagles in 1964 and 1965, Cross was traded to the Rams. He would return to Philadelphia in 1969, becoming a player and coach. After retiring in 1970, he became an Eagles assistant coach.
In his nine seasons, Cross had 22 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns.
Cross is survived by his wife, Liz; four children, Susan, Lisa, Matthew, and Sarah; grandson Aiden; brothers Raymond, Teal, and Sam; and sisters Joan, Jackie, Julia, Pat, and Gwen.
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