Dick Button, whose passionate and often tart commentary on figure skating competitions became a television staple over six decades and made him the sport’s unofficial spokesperson, died Thursday in North Salem, New York. He was 95.
His death was confirmed by his son, Edward.
An Emmy winner, Button taught generations of TV audiences the nuances of triple toe loops, lutzes and axels and how judges assess a skater’s performance. But many fans may not have known that he was a two-time Olympic gold medalist himself, advancing modern figure skating in the late 1940s and early ’50s with his dazzling leaps and spins, including the first triple jump in competition.
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