Darren Dutchyshen, longtime sports anchor on Canadian television The Sports Network, has died. He was 57 years old.

“He died while surrounded by his loved ones. His quick wit remained until his final moments, classically delivering many jokes – most of them quite good and all of them inappropriate,” the Dutchyshen family said in a statement Thursday.

TSN, where Dutchyshen hosted his Sports center show since 1995, confirmed at The Hollywood Reporter that he died after a battle with prostate cancer. Dutchyshen first announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer in 2021 on Twitter. This forced him to significantly reduce his on-air duties at TSN.

“Darren Dutchyshen was a Canadian sports broadcasting legend, a great teammate and a vital part of TSN over the past three decades,” said Stewart Johnston, senior vice-president of sales and sports at Bell Media, parent company of TSN, in a press release.

“A larger-than-life personality, Darren’s incredible sense of humor and magnetic energy make him a natural broadcaster who connects easily with viewers. His enthusiasm reminds us every day why we love sport. Most importantly, Darren was a friend to all of us at TSN, and he will be greatly missed.

Having joined TSN as host of the weekend editions of Sports office And CFL liveDutchyshen has become a staple behind the Sports center office for a reign of nearly 30 years. He was often seen on air with co-anchors Rod Smith and Jennifer Hedger.

Dutchyshen also welcomed Olympic prime time on TSN during the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Games.

Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and raised in Porcupine Plain in that province, Dutchyshen landed his first job as a sports commentator at STV in Saskatoon. This was followed by a stint at IMTV in Dauphin, Manitoba. He also spent seven years as host of the ITV show Sports evening in Edmonton.

TSN is planning a televised tribute to Dutchyshen on Thursday evening.