Inside John Sterling’s final days: Football, friends and one last wish
Late Yankees broadcasting great John Sterling is remembered by a colleague.
Rickie Ricardo’s cell phone buzzed two Fridays ago. On the other end: John Sterling, calling to talk football the morning after Round 1 of the NFL draft. The Yankees broadcasting legend hadn’t been able to walk or even stand on his own since he suffered a massive heart attack in January, but he still closely followed sports from his home in Englewood.
“John wanted to know what I thought about the Eagles’ draft pick, then we got around to talking about the Giants,” Ricardo, the Spanish-language voice of the Yankees and Eagles, told NJ. com by phone on Monday morning. Ricardo’s strong voice was quivering because he’d just heard that Sterling’s legendary baritone had been silenced forever .
Sterling, the Yankees’ radio voice for 36 seasons from 1989-2024, has died, WFAN radio announced Monday morning. Ricardo confirmed the death to NJ. com after receiving the news in a text message from Suzyn Waldman, Sterling’s longtime partner in the Yankees’ radio booth.
“We kind of knew this was coming,” Ricardo, also a backup Yankees broadcaster and talk-show host on WFAN, said. “John was back in the hospital on Saturday and things were heading in the wrong direction. ” The last time Sterling was on the air was as a guest on Ricardo’s WFAN radio show.
Continue to the original source for the full article.