Legendary sports broadcaster John Gwynne has passed away at the age of 77 following a battle with cancer.
A skilled and highly respected figure in the industry, Gwynne was part of the Sky Sports commentary team at the World Darts Council's first World Championship in 1993, having previously covered the sport on radio and "Darts Phone Line Commentary" after branching into broadcasting after starting out his career as a schoolteacher.
He was part of the Sky team for two decades before retiring in 2013 having covered 20 World Championships and 20 World Matchplays. Across his impressive career, Gwynne also spent time writing, featuring in the Darts World magazine and worked with the Darts Regulation Authority. He was inducted into the Professional Darts Corporation Hall of Fame in 2014
His extraordinary talent was not just exclusive to darts, however. His role at Sky also saw him report on football for Soccer Saturday and he subsequently wrote his "Soccer Satisfied" book in 2020 which detailed all his experiences covering the beautiful game. Other sports he covered as a broadcaster included cricket, rugby league and speedway.
"John was a respected and popular figure in darts and across sports media and this is a sad time for all who knew him," said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.
"As part of the original Sky Sports commentary team alongside Sid Waddell and Dave Lanning, John's distinctive voice was part of the soundtrack to the PDC's formative years and they formed an iconic trio.
"John was hugely passionate about the sport of darts and made a great contribution at all levels during his career.
"We send our condolences and sympathies to John's family and friends."
Gwynne leaves behind a lasting legacy in broadcasting and everyone at The Sportsman would also like to send our condolences to his family and friends at this most difficult time.
