Los Angeles sports radio host Joe McDonnell dies at age 58

Joe McDonnell, who was a sports commentator for Los Angeles and had his own radio show, passed away at the age of 58.

According to the Los Angeles Times, McDonnell died at Good Samaritan Hospital on Friday and his official cause of death has not been determined. McDonnell, who once weighed 740 pounds before he had gastric-bypass surgery to lose weight, did radio for sports since the 1980s.

He was remembered by Los Angeles Lakers President Jeanie Buss, who said, “For more than 35 years, Joe has been a regular at Lakers games and press events. Known for his quick wit and strong opinions, Joe’s love of and support of the Lakers has always been appreciated. Over all these years, our players, coaches and staff have enjoyed working with and knowing Joe. He will be sorely missed.”

McDonnel began working in radio at the age of 19 in 1975. Former colleagues reportedly said that he always kept an eye on teams for Los Angeles because he loved sports so much.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth.

Deadline reported some of McDonnell’s most popular shows included McDonnel Douglas, which he did from 2000-2005 with a writer named Doug Krikorian from the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Some of McDonnell’s nicknames included “Big Joe” and “The Big Nasty.” Krikorian once described him as “loud, opinionated, obnoxious, irreverent, outrageous, unpredictable, knowledgeable, brash, and most of all, entertaining.”