Darrell Eastlake dies aged 75: report
Sports commentator Darrell Eastlake has died aged 75, Channel Nine has announced.
Eastlake was known for his booming voice and excitable personality, and was one of the most widely recognisable media figures on Wide World of Sports for more than four decades.
He died at a NSW Central Coast nursing home after a battle with Alzheimer's disease and emphysema., Channel Nine said.
A versatile sports broadcaster, he covered motorsports, rugby league, the Commonwealth Games and numerous other sports for Nine.
He retired from the network in 2005.
"Darrell was a larger-than-life character who loomed into Australian households with excitement and authenticity," Nine's director of sport Tom Malone said on nine.com.au.
"His impact on sports broadcasting was huge, transforming the way millions of Australians consumed and appreciated sport."
External Link: Eastlake calls 1992 Group A touring cars
Eastlake's wife Julie had previously spoken of the difficulties in dealing with his condition.
"It's been so hard for me to tell him he can't come home," Mrs Eastlake told Channel Nine's A Current Affair in 2016.
"If he falls I can't pick him up — and he has fallen so many times.
"He gets very down because he thinks he's forgotten, but he's not forgotten, he's really and truly not.
"I do a lot of crying when I leave the nursing home.
"I sit here and say to myself, 'where's my man gone?'"
Eastlake was perhaps best known for his enthusiastic coverage State of Origin from 1983 to 1993, as well as Formula 1, ironman, weightlifting and superbikes.
He was pulled from the commentary team at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games for his over-excited performances.
External Link: Big set commentated by Eastlake
Stalwart Nine broadcaster Ken Sutcliffe said Eastlake was a real character to work alongside.
"You just couldn't help but get into trouble in his company," Sutcliffe said on nine.com.au.
"I never got thrown out of a hotel and I got thrown out because I was with Darrell — and I was 40-odd years of age.
"He was larger than life, and he loved life. He was noisy, passionate, infuriating and funny."
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