Bill Rasmussen, a former local news sports director who turned his interest in the emerging satellite television business into the launch of a global sports media giant ESPN, has passed away after a battle with Parkinson's disease.
He was 93.
The news of his demise was shared on ESPN's official Instagram handle.
"ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen, whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network forever changed the landscape of sports media, died today at the age of 93. A game-changer for the ages. Thank you for everything, Bill," the post read.
Honouring Bill, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro in a statement, said, Bill was a remarkable man -- a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports."
Jimmy added, "Quite simply, none of us would be here today if it wasn't for Bill's passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN in the late 1970s -- key aspects of our company culture that still carry on to this day." -- ANI
