Bill Rasmussen, who co-founded ESPN nearly 50 years ago, died on Tuesday at age 93 after a decadeslong battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Rasmussen and his son, Scott Rasmussen, partnered to launch the sports industry giant in 1979, launching the network as the first 24/7 television channel in the world to hit the cable airwaves. ESPN announced Bill Rasmussen’s death on Tuesday, saying he died in his Florida home.
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“Bill was a remarkable man – a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement to the network. “Quite simply, none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for Bill’s passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN in the late 1970s – key aspects of our company culture that still carry on to this day.”
Rasmussen’s idea for an all-hours, national sports network grew into one of the most recognized names in sports media and a company valued at $30 billion as of February. He had left the company after it was sold shortly after its founding, but came back as an adviser years later. In announcing his death, ESPN said Rasmussen “laid the groundwork for future growth” in his initial year as its first president and CEO.
The sports industry titan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014 at age 81. He announced his diagnosis years later, sharing an optimistic outlook and spreading awareness about the disease starting in 2019.
“Some people hear the word Parkinson’s, and they think, ‘Life’s over. I can’t do anything else,’ and that’s far from the truth,” Rasmussen said in a 2019 interview with the American Parkinson Disease Association. “Don’t let your brain say, ‘That’s the end. I can’t do anything.’ Let your brain take the challenge and say, ‘Now what can I do?'”
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“What do I have to change so I can continue to live a healthy and positive life? Giving up is not an option, and I think a positive attitude is what counts,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen has three children — Scott, Glenn Rasmussen, and Lynn Van Hollebeke. His wife, Lois Rasmussen, died in 2011.
