National Basketball Association

Chick Hearn's widow, Marge Hearn, dies at 98

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:48 p.m. ET

foxsports

LOS ANGELES (AP) Marge Hearn, the widow of legendary Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn, has died. She was 98.

The team said in a statement Sunday that she died of natural causes. Chick Hearn died on Aug. 5, 2002 at age 85, eight days before what would have been the couple's 64th wedding anniversary.

Lakers coach Byron Scott says ''Marge was like everybody's mom - a Laker mom,'' and that ''a lot of the Laker wives were able to confide in Marge.''

Mrs. Hearn gave the acceptance speech for her husband at the Basketball Hall of Fame when he was inducted posthumously in 2003 - the first broadcaster to be so honored.