Stuart Scott's death at 49 has the sports world mourning, and celebrities paid their tributes to one of ESPN's most familiar personalities. Scott's cancer was detected when a 2007 appendectomy revealed the malignancy, with treatments ongoing ever since. The cancer was diagnosed full-blown 2011, in remission 2012.
Stuart Scott's cancer returned in 2013, and his battle gained him the Jimmy V Award for perseverance. His speech during the ESPYs, now in retrospect, very well served as his own eulogy in the wake of his death.
Scott's speech first paid tribute to the people who went before him, especially Jimmy Valvano:
"Being honored with this [award], I now also have a responsibility to not ever give up," referring to Valvano's four key words which stuck with him during his battle with the Big C - 'Don't Ever Give Up.'
Scott also paraphrased Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" in his speech, insisting that death does not mean losing to the disease.
"When you die, it does not mean you lose to cancer," he said. "You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live. So live. Live. Fight like hell."
The progression of Stuart Scott's cancer was initially denied, but was later confirmed on Twitter. In his ESPY speech, Scott looked to his two daughters as reasons to press on.
"I can't ever give up, because I can't leave my daughters." He referred to daughters Taelor and Sydni. "You two are my heartbeat. I am standing on this stage here tonight because of you."
President Obama was among the many who mourned the sports journalist's death. In a statement he said, "I will miss Stuart Scott. Twenty years ago, Stu helped usher in a new way to talk about our favorite teams and the day's best plays. For much of those twenty years, public service and campaigns have kept me from my family - but wherever I went, I could flip on the TV and Stu and his colleagues on 'SportsCenter were there.'"
Stuart Scott's death wraps up a successful career, echoed in the final note of his ESPY speech.
"Have a great rest of your night, and have a great rest of your life." (gossipcop.com)
