Angels Announcer Rory Markas died in his sleep late Monday night. Cause of death is undetermined.
As reported in a Fanshot by JAYCAL earlier this morning here on Halos Heaven:
Rory Markas known for the famous catch phrase "Just Another Halo Victory" passed away earlier this morning. AM 830's Sport Lodge reported it this morning and it was also being reported on KTTV, Fox 11 here in Los Angeles. In late-2008, Rory underwent surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain, which sidelined him for about six weeks. Rory was 54 and reportedly passed in his sleep. Rory was set to be the lead announcer for the Angels this season with Mark Gubicza.
On AM 830 radio, Rory's longtime partner Terry Smith told listeners, "I think now everybody should just celebrate what a good person he was."
At 9:00 AM, the Angels sent out this press release:
BROADCASTER RORY MARKAS PASSES AWAY
ANAHEIM, CA: Angels Baseball Tuesday announced that veteran broadcaster Rory Markas passed away yesterday at his home in Palmdale, CA. No other details are available, and funeral service information is pending.
Markas, 54, spent eight seasons calling play-by-play with the Angels, both on television and radio. In addition to his responsibilities with the Angels, Markas also served as the play-by-play voice for the University of Southern California men's basketball team, and as a reporter for FOX 11 KTTV in Los Angeles.
Prior to joining the Angels, Markas handled the play-by-play duties for the USC baseball team on the Trojan Radio Network, as well as pre-game reporting for Trojan football. During that time, he also served as a sports reporter on KNX Newsradio 1070 in Los Angeles, and a sports anchor on FOX 11. From 1994-97, he was the lead announcer for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers on the Clippers radio network.
Markas had extensive baseball broadcasting experience prior to joining the Angels, as he worked as a play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers television network (1992-94) and as a substitute radio play-by-play announcer with the Brewers radio network from 1984-1994. He spent six seasons calling Pacific Coast League baseball, including three years with the Salt Lake City Gulls and three years with the Vancouver Canadians.
Markas' career included stints as an on-air sports talent for KCBS 2 (1990-97) and Prime Ticket (1987-90). He was honored with several broadcasting awards, including four Golden Mike Awards for radio reporting, and two Associated Press Sportscasting Awards. He also received the 2008 Radio Play-by-Play Award from the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association.
A native of San Fernando Valley, CA, Markas attended Chatsworth High School. He later attended Los Angeles Valley College and Cal State Northridge. He is survived by his mother, Billie and brothers, Gary and Troy.