RIP John Saunders

If that doesn't make the room dusty, nothing will.

Perhaps the only on-air personality in recent memory who has never made me wish he would stop talking for awhile.

RIP.

 

Dickie V was on Russillo and Kanell and lost it when telling the story about Saunders surprising him at the hospital on the day of Vitale's throat surgery to determine whether he had cancer. Little dusty in the car.

 

That.

 

I returned to this thread hoping to find out something, because the cause of death being absent is a huge hole in the story. Never occurred to me that it may be suicide, but now I can't see it being anything else. So very sad.

As someone else said, Saunders was one of the very few guys at the WWL was was not in any way a guy you wished talked less.

 

Damn, like OT I never considered suicide. Didn't know he struggled with depression either.
Shit.

 

Sadly, it was the first place my mind went when I saw that no cause of death was listed. And then I read about his struggles with depression.

I understand his family's desire for privacy at this point and they're not taking an unusual route, but not talking about suicide keeps the stigma of mental health issues out there. Robin Williams' death sucked, but I'm pretty sure the family and officials were out front right away. On his family's end, I admired that. In my twisted mind, I'm hoping that led to some good for some people who were struggling.

 

The older I get, the more people I learn who struggle with depression. People who, from the outside, you might wonder "what the hell are they sad about? They have everything."

Could be chemical.

Could be genetic.

Could be the "is there all there is?" after reaching success that so many strive for.

We all struggle with something that no one - and I mean NO ONE - knows anything about.

 

Now if only we could talk about it a bit more ...

 

Between retirements, departures and now death ESPN has fast become a shell of
the company that we once knew.

 

Family statement:

STATEMENT FROM THE FAMILY OF JOHN SAUNDERS - ESPN MediaZone

"This tragic news brings us unspeakable sorrow. John was the patriarch of our family, and we can’t believe he is gone. We are sincerely touched by the outpouring of support and sadness, which is a reflection of the character and integrity that defined him.

“While we don’t yet have all the specifics, John wasn’t feeling well physically in recent days and sadly, he was unresponsive earlier this morning. We appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers for our cherished father, husband, brother and uncle.”