According to U.S. Figure Skating, U.S. figure skating legend Dick Button passed away on Thursday. He was the voice of the sport on television and won multiple Olympic gold medals on the ice.
He was 95 years old.
Button’s death was first reported by the Associated Press, who cited his son Edward, who did not specify the cause of death.
The news of Button’s death in North Salem, New York, was later confirmed by U.S. Figure Skating, which is already in shock after more than a dozen aspiring competitors were killed in a midair accident over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.
According to a statement, “U.S. Figure Skating mourns the loss of the legendary Dick Button.” Figure skating was changed by the two-time Olympic champion’s innovative approach and award-winning television commentary. His influence will last forever. We send his family and loved ones our sincerest sympathies.
Shortly after news of his passing emerged, gold medallist Scott Hamilton shared a photo of himself and Button along with the broken heart emoji.
Button initially gained notoriety in 1948 when she became the first skater to win gold in an Olympic double axelin competition at St. Moritz, Switzerland, at the age of 18.
In 1952, he won a gold medal for his revolutionary work in Oslo, Norway, when he invented the button camel, now known as the flying camel spin, and stuck the first-ever triple loop.
It wasn’t until Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan won back-to-back individual gold medals in 2014 and 2018 that no man had done so.
Button received his law degree from Harvard University in 1955 after graduating in 1952.
Button continued skating in the Ice Capades and Holiday on Ice after the competition was over.
ButButton left a lasting legacy with cameras and microphones rather than skates.
At the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, he provided commentary on figure skating for CBS.
Button became a mainstay of the Olympics as audiences embraced his wit and raw honesty. For many generations of Americans, the sport itself was identified with Button’s voice.
Before being recognized into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015, he supplied NBC with figure skating analysis for the Winter Games in Turin, Italy, in 2006, and Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2010.
Dick Button is the epitome of the sport among figure skaters. Olympic gold medalist and NBC Sports figure skating analyst Tara Lipinski stated in Button’s Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame article that he is and always will be the sport’s godfather.
According to Johnny Weir, Lipinski’s radio colleague, Button stands out for his direct observations.
According to Weir, Dick Button established a transparent and honest environment in figure skating broadcasting where no subject or instance was off-limits. “He told it like it was, even when his opinion wasn t a popular one.”
According to U.S. Figure Skating, Button is survived by his two children, Edward and Emily Button, as well as his longtime spouse and partner, Dennis Grimaldi.