John Sterling, the radio voice of the New York Yankees since 1989, has died at 87, WFAN announced Monday.
John Sterling, the longtime radio voice of the New York Yankees whose signature home run calls became part of the team’s sound for more than three decades, has died. He was 87.
WFAN Sports Radio in New York announced Sterling’s death Monday, marking the loss of one of the most recognizable broadcasters in Yankees history. Sterling had called Yankees games since 1989 and retired in April 2024 after 64 years in broadcasting.
“We are devastated to hear about the passing of John Sterling, a WFAN and Yankees radio icon whose voice was synonymous with an entire generation of Yankee fandom,” the station wrote on social media.
The announcement did not give a cause of death. A Fox News Digital report noted Sterling had suffered a heart attack in January and was said at the time to be in good spirits.
Sterling’s Yankees tenure spanned multiple World Series championships and thousands of games on New York radio. He became closely identified with his emphatic home run call, “It is high, it is far, it is gone!” and with personalized calls for Yankees stars, including Alex Rodriguez and Aaron Judge.
Before becoming synonymous with the Yankees, Sterling built a long career across several sports. He began as a play-by-play announcer for the NBA’s Baltimore Bullets in 1970, later worked in the New York area with the World Hockey Association’s New York Stars, and also called games for the New York Islanders and the American Basketball Association’s New York Nets. He spent years on the air in Atlanta before returning to New York for the Yankees job.
His durability became part of his legend. Sterling called more than 5,000 consecutive Yankees games from 1989 until a brief break in July 2019, later moving to a reduced schedule in 2022 before retiring fully two years later.
Reaction from across the sports world began spreading after WFAN’s announcement, with fans and colleagues remembering a broadcaster whose voice became inseparable from Yankees baseball on the radio.
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