Frank Gifford has died. According to NBC News , the former NFL player and famed sports journalist passed away at his home in Connecticut. His family said that Frank Gifford , 84, died of “natural causes,” but did not elaborate on what happened.
“It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and friend, Frank Gifford. Frank died suddenly this beautiful Sunday morning of natural causes at his Connecticut home. We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being. We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time and we thank you for your prayers.”
Frank Gifford was a sports journalist, and spent many years (from 1971 through 1985) as a part of Monday Night Football . According to Variety , he spent much of his professional life dedicated to football , and played in the NFL for over a decade.
“Gifford worked as a sportscaster for CBS before joining NBC. He was a receiver and running back for the New York Giants from 1952 through 1965. He entered the NFL Hall of Fame in 1975.”
Gifford is survived by his wife, Today’s Kathie Lee Gifford, and their children, son Cody, 24, and daughter Cassidy, 21. He also had three other children from a previous marriage.
Frank and Kathie Lee, 61, had been married for 29 years. As previously reported by the Inquisitr , cheating rumors tried to drive them apart in 2013, but the two didn’t waver.
NEW YORK – MAY 13: Kathie Lee Gifford and Frank Gifford attend the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s 2nd annual Spring Ball at The Plaza Hotel on May 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images) BURBANK, CA – OCTOBER 13: (L-R) TV Host Kathie Lee Gifford, husband TV commentator Frank Gifford and their daughter Cassidy Gifford attend the 2008 Disney Legends Ceremony at the Walt Disney Studios on October 13, 2008 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images) NEW YORK – MAY 13: Hoda Kotb, Frank Gifford and Kathie Lee Gifford attend the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s 2nd annual Spring Ball at The Plaza Hotel on May 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images) NEW YORK – APRIL 26: Honoree Kathie Lee Gifford (L) and husband Frank Gifford attend the City of Hope-East End Chapter 2010 Spirit of Life Award luncheon at Waldorf Astoria – Grand Ballroom on April 26, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for City of Hope) NEW YORK – MAY 10: Frank Gifford (L)and Kathie Lee Gifford attend Literacy Partners 26th annual Evening of Readings gala at the David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center on May 10, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 01: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Kathy Lee Gifford and Frank Gifford attend the New York Giants Super Bowl Pep Rally Luncheon at Michael’s on February 1, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for New York Giants) NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 14: Joy Philbin, Regis Philbin, Kathy Lee Gifford and Frank Gifford attend the funeral service for Marvin Hamlisch at Temple Emanu-El on August 14, 2012 in New York City. Hamlisch died in Los Angeles on August 6, 2012 at age 68. In his long and distinguished career, the music man had received a Pulitzer Prize as well as the Oscar, Tony, Emmy and GRAMMY. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
[Photo by Theo Wargo / Getty Images Entertainment]
