LOS ANGELES ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman’s wife of
34 years was killed in a car crash in the couple’s home state of
Connecticut, authorities said on Wednesday.Katherine Berman was driving on Tuesday when her car struck
a sport utility vehicle in Woodbury, causing her car to roll
down an embankment and overturn, according to an accident report
from Connecticut State Police.She and the occupant of the other car, an 87-year-old man,
both were killed, officials said. The cause of the collision was
under investigation.Katherine Berman’s death came one day before Chris Berman’s
62nd birthday on Wednesday.Berman has long been one of the biggest stars on ESPN, which
is owned by the Walt Disney Co and is one of the most
watched networks on cable television.”This is a devastating tragedy and difficult to comprehend,”
ESPN President John Skipper said in a statement on Katherine’s
death. “Chris is beloved by all his ESPN colleagues and for good
reason: He has a huge heart and has given so much to so many
over the years.”Berman, nicknamed “Boomer,” for years anchored
“SportsCenter,” the network’s flagship show, and hosted its
“Sunday NFL Countdown” program. He has won the National
Sportscaster of the Year award six times.Berman, who joined ESPN in 1979, announced in a January
interview with Sports Business Daily that he was reducing his
role at ESPN in a new contract with the network.Berman met Katherine, who was then a grade-school teacher,
on a roadway by pretending to have car trouble and asking her
out when she stopped to check on him, according to a 1993
article in People magazine.The couple married in 1983 and had two children, Meredith
and Douglas.
