John Sterling, the famed radio broadcaster known as the “Voice of the Yankees” for 36 years, has died.
He was 87.
“We are devastated to hear about the passing of John Sterling, a WFAN and Yankees radio icon whose voice was synonymous with an entire generation of Yankee fandom,” WFAN said on social media. “Rest in peace, John.”
“The Yankees mourn the loss of legendary broadcaster John Sterling,” the team added in its own post. “Our thoughts are with John’s family, friends and loved ones at this time.
Known for his boisterous tone, wonky catchphrases and punny home run calls, Sterling, who was nominated to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, dealt with various health issues over the past few years. In January, he suffered a heart attack.
Sterling was married to Jennifer Sterling for 12 years. They had four kids: Abagail, as well as triplets Veronica, Bradford and Derek.
Sterling took over as the Yankees’ play-by-play announcer in 1989, the first of 36 years on the job. He missed two games that season after his sister, Jane, died. From there, he called 5,058 consecutive regular season games — in addition to 211 playoff contests — before his streak came to an end in July 2019. All in all, he broadcasted 5,631 Yankees games, including eight World Series appearances, before retiring in 2024.
Sterling actually retired twice that year, with his first send-off coming early in the season. He then returned to the booth for the final week of the 2024 campaign before calling the Yankees’ run to the World Series, which ended with a loss to the Dodgers.
“If you want to sum it up, I’m very lucky,” Sterling, reflecting on his illustrious career, said ahead of his initial retirement.
“Nothing will ever be the same,” Suzyn Waldman, Sterling’s longtime broadcast partner, added at the time. “It can’t be. Life goes on and we all go on, but nothing will be the same.”
