The broadcasting world lost one of its most prominent figures when ESPN personality Stuart Scott passed away. Stuart’s long fight with appendix cancer ended on Sunday January 4th, 2015. Scott had been battling cancer since 2007 and had been re-diagnosed in 2013. Stuart changed the mold of sports broadcasting with his never before seen “funk” and his legacy will forever be a part of the business.

Scott grew up in Chicago and attended The University of North Carolina from 1983 to 1987. After graduating, Scott worked at different news outlets in Raleigh, North Carolina and Orlando. He was brought to ESPN networks in hope of being relatable to younger audiences. He worked for ESPN for 22 years, being promoted from ESPN2 anchor, to the studio host for NBA on ESPN and then being named a host of SportsCenter. In Scotts time at ESPN he interviewed the likes of Tiger Woods and presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Scotts cancer was discovered after a trip to the hospital for a stomach ache in 2007 and after going into remission, came back in 2011 and then again came back in 2013. He continued to work at ESPN throughout his treatment, hosting and being apart of events such as ABC’s NBA Christmas Day studio show and Friday Night ESPN NBA coverage.

Scotts battle with cancer ended just 6 months after receiving the Jimmy V Award at the 2014 ESPY’s, an award for courage. Scott, skinny, frail, and sick, made his way to the stage giving his most famous speech, stating  “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live”. Stuart truly was “cooler than the other side of the pillow.” He was 49.