Veteran British sports presenter David Vine dies
LONDON (Reuters Life!) - One of Britain's best-known sports presenters David Vine, who hosted an array of BBC shows from "Grandstand" to "Ski Sunday," has died of a heart attack aged 73, his publicist said on Monday.
Vine, who passed away at his home in Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire on Sunday, presented a huge number of programs during his long career.
He covered sports events such as Wimbledon and the Olympics and presented "Match of the Day," "A Question of Sport" and "Superstars." He even hosted coverage of Miss World and the Eurovision Song Contest and "It's a Knockout."
Publicist Paul Madeley said Vine commanded enormous respect from his colleagues and counted many famous sporting names as friends.
"He will be remembered as one of the most professional broadcasters, dedicated to what he was doing with perfection to detail, wanting the viewer or listener to have the maximum information he felt they would ever want," he said.
"I don't know anybody who was regarded like that."
Vine underwent a triple heart bypass operation a few years ago and last featured as a presenter during the Sydney Olympics in 2000 when he hosted coverage of weight-lifting. However he had continued to work for the BBC as a consultant.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Steve Addison)
