ESPN producer Ted Brown died this past Sunday, January 24, of a heart attack in his hotel room in Melbourne, Australia, where he had been covering the Australian Open. He was 36.
Brown’s colleague, ESPN anchor Chris Fowler, gave an emotional tribute from the Open on Monday, remembering his late colleague and his contributions. “There are eight tennis matches on the schedule today and they are of great importance to the players involved, and we know you’re energized about watching them,” Fowler said on air. “But we are grieving today. We are sad and in shock. A member of our crew, of our tennis family, passed away last night.”
According to Fowler, Brown suffered a heart attack in his hotel room and could not be revived. “Ted was in good health,” the sportscaster shared. “He was 36 years old.”
Brown was a devoted graphics producer who had been with ESPN since 2007. His work was not only seen during tennis matches, but also during ABC’s College Football Primetime and college basketball season. “You’ve seen and appreciated Ted’s work — even if you didn’t realize it,” Fowler continued. “Ted was immensely well-liked. He was a complete professional. And when confronted with something like this, Ted would’ve tried to get on with his job the best way he could.”
It has been a sad year for the ESPN family. Last January, longtime network anchor Stuart Scott died at age 49 after a lengthy battle with cancer. On Monday afternoon, SportsCenter tweeted a message to its 24 million–plus followers on Monday afternoon, mourning Brown. “Our friend and colleague, Ted Brown, is gone much too soon,” the message read. “We send all of our best wishes to his family.”
Our friend and colleague, Ted Brown, is gone much too soon. We send all of our best wishes to his family. https://t.co/xTYOhX0Rax
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 25, 2016
Brown is survived by his wife, Erin, and their 2-year-old son, Henry.
Watch Fowler’s tribute above.
