Nick Charles, CNN’s First Sports Anchor, Dead at 64
Sportscaster Nick Charles has died of bladder cancer at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 64.
As CNN’s first sports anchor, his work with Fred Hickman on the nightly-roundup show ‘Sports Tonight’ sometimes drew a larger audience than even that of sports network ESPN.
After anchoring the show for 17 years, he then went on to host his own show, ‘Page One with Nick Charles,’ which ran for four years. He also worked with TNT, providing coverage for the Winter Olympic Games and Goodwill Games.
But Charles was perhaps best known for his work as a boxing analyst and commentator. Past interviews included Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, and he was a boxing commentator for Showtime until 2009.
Charles was also known for his good looks – People magazine once called him one of America’s handsomest men.
He leaves behind his wife of 13 years, Cory Azumbrado Charles, their 5-year-old daughter, and three children from two previous marriages that ended in divorce.