Vancouver sportswriter Jason Botchford dead at 48

Sports fans in British Columbia are mourning the loss of popular sportswriter Jason Botchford.

His family announced that the 48-year-old has passed away of apparent heart failure.

pic.twitter.com/oCtS1rRCwk

— The Athletic HQ (@TheAthletic) May 1, 2019

“The family is heartbroken at his unexpected passing,” said a statement regarding his death.

Tributes are pouring in for the Vancouver-based sports personality that people are calling “charismatic,” “engaging,” “passionate” and “respected.”

I’m stunned & terribly saddened today. Having a lot of trouble processing this news.

There are a lot of things people don’t know about Jason Botchford - good things, things that matter.

He was my friend. He was a husband & father. My heart hurts for his family.

— Scott Rintoul (@ScottRintoul) May 1, 2019

Deepest sympathies to the family of Jason Botchford, incredibly sad news to learn of his passing at just 48. Creative,passionate, a bit zany and so good at what he did. I loved my back-and-forth with Botch, both on and off the air.. will miss those. #RIP

— Ray Ferraro (@rayferrarotsn) May 1, 2019

After taking a news reporting job at the Vancouver Province early in his career, Botchford quickly moved into sports to cover the Vancouver Canucks and the NHL.

Over the years, he became one of the most highly-respected personalities in Vancouver and was a dynamic presence on social media with nearly 60,000 Twitter followers.

Botchford regularly appeared on TSN 1040 in Vancouver and on TSN’s parent network in segments like That’s hockey.

In the fall, Botchford did what many sports writers have done over recent months and joined The Athletic as a senior hockey writer in Vancouver.

“He developed a huge following with his lively, often playful writing style, edgy commentary and plugged-in reportage,” said the statement from his family.

His popular Canucks post-game feature ‘The Provies’ became the ‘The Athletties’ when he made the move and many fans busted out their wallets to follow him to the paid website.

Botchford is survived by his wife Kathryn and his children Sierra, Keina and Hudson.