MUCH-loved talkSPORT commentator Russell Hargreaves has died at the age of 45 – with devastated colleagues sharing emotional tributes.
The radio station announced Hargreaves's death this afternoon – hailing him a "wonderful professional, brilliant friend and a valued part of our family".
Dad-of-three Hargreaves worked as a talkSPORT commentator for more than ten years.
He covered golf, football and his main love rugby for the sports radio station.
In a tribute on the talkSPORT website, colleague Sean O'Brien said: "Nobody was better at finding the right words than Russ.
"Words were his thing. They are what we do. But right now, I can’t find any.
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"You see, these words are supposed to honour the death of a close friend, gone far too soon.
"And it feels like they never got round to making the right ones to describe what he meant.
"But Russ would know what to say. It was one of many enviable talents for a man who emerged from Cambridge University with a Classics degree and an encyclopaedic knowledge of every sport.
"He was a broadcasting genius. Watching him do radio was mesmeric, like a Roger Federer backhand, or Tiger Woods from the middle of the fairway."
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TalkSPORT chief Liam Fisher said: "Russ was always a wonderful professional who, whenever he came on air, gave brilliant energy and insight.
"A regular on our rugby and golf coverage, he was also part of talkSPORT International delivering superb commentaries to our overseas partners.
"He was a broadcaster always well-researched who would make every effort to deliver a two-way, match report or live presentation no matter the time of day and give the listeners exactly what they needed.
"He had a real flair for getting to the heart of the story and educating both the armchair fan and those who lived and breathed the sport he was discussing.
Fisher added: "He provided a great example of the necessity of putting the work in beforehand to reap the benefits on air.
"Beyond his professional work, he would pride himself on having time for people, asking about them and their family.
"His friendliness made him a very approachable guy who will be much missed."
He leaves behind wife of 12 years Rachel and their three children.
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