How did John Clayton die? Tributes pour in as longtime NFL reporter passes away at 67

On Friday, March 18, renowned NFL reporter John Clayton passed away at the age of 67. Clayton’s ESPN colleague Chris Mortensen announced the news of his demise via Twitter. A statement was later released by the Seattle Seahawks at the behest of the late journalist’s family.In his tweet, Mortensen wrote that Clayton “passed away today at a Seattle area hospital.” Further adding,“His wife Pat and sister Amy were at his side and communicated earlier he passed peacefully after a brief illness.”Chris Mortensen@mortreportJohn Clayton passed away today at a Seattle area hospital. His wife Pat and sister Amy were at his side and communicated earlier he passed peacefully after a brief illness.We loved John. We are mourning his loss.Pat has asked the @Seahawks to release further information.7:39 AM · Mar 19, 2022292452416John Clayton passed away today at a Seattle area hospital. His wife Pat and sister Amy were at his side and communicated earlier he passed peacefully after a brief illness.We loved John. We are mourning his loss.Pat has asked the @Seahawks to release further information.Clayton is survived by his wife Patricia and sister Amy. Throughout a career of 36 years, Clayton was associated with ESPN as an NFL reporter for over two decades. The sports journalist recently worked for The Seattle Seahawks as a sideline radio reporter for five seasons and also hosted The John Clayton Show on Seattle Sports 710.What happened to the late ESPN reporter John Clayton?Seattle Seahawks@SeahawksHeartbroken. Rest In Peace, The Professor.7:42 AM · Mar 19, 2022177872157Heartbroken. 💔 Rest In Peace, The Professor. https://t.co/xFGdTYstnTAccording to his colleague, Mortensen, Clayton was reportedly admitted to a “Seattle area hospital” for receiving treatment for a “brief illness.” His last story was published on Seattle Sports 710’s website on March 10.This potentially insinuates that Clayton was recently hospitalized following his bout with the illness, which is yet to be revealed by the family.Exploring John Clayton’s legacy as a sports journalistIn the 1970s and 1980s, Clayton was associated with The Pittsburgh Press and covered the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania native worked with The News Tribune in Tacoma and covered the Seattle Seahawks.While it is unknown what Clayton did in the early 1990s, the sports analyst joined ESPN in 1995. Later, he rose through the ranks to become a senior reporter in the organization, which also translated to being a senior writer for ESPN.com.During his career at ESPN, Clayton hosted the NFL commentaries on television and radio. Amongst several recognitions, in 2007, Clayton (who was also known as ‘The Professor’) received the Bill Nunn Memorial Award from the Professional Football Writers of America.Condolences rush in after John Clayton’s demiseFollowing his death, Clayton’s associates and colleagues from the industry paid tribute to the late sports journalist. Numerous tweets pointed out his involvement in one of the most popular SportsCenter commercials.ESPN@espnJohn Clayton, one of our NFL insiders who expertly covered the league for more than 20 years at ESPN, died Friday at 67 after a brief illness.We all learned something from &quot;The Professor&quot; over the years and we will miss him dearly.8:55 AM · Mar 19, 2022217422196John Clayton, one of our NFL insiders who expertly covered the league for more than 20 years at ESPN, died Friday at 67 after a brief illness.We all learned something from &quot;The Professor&quot; over the years and we will miss him dearly. https://t.co/bfiPCPUYZoMary Kay Cabot@MaryKayCabot@mortreport @Seahawks So sorry to hear this. John was a true gentleman, a great reporter, and so kind to me in my early days in the business. He will be missed. My heart goes out to his family. 🏻8:07 AM · Mar 19, 20222935@mortreport @Seahawks So sorry to hear this. John was a true gentleman, a great reporter, and so kind to me in my early days in the business. He will be missed. My heart goes out to his family. 🙏🏻❤️Pittsburgh Steelers@steelers7:48 AM · Mar 19, 20226739660https://t.co/r7OBpMKx8fJoy Taylor@JoyTaylorTalksJohn Clayton was the kindest person. This was my first sideline job for the NFL. He found me, gave me advice, gave me some information for the broadcast and as always, wanted to talk about Braddock, PA. Thank you for everything John, I am so grateful for your friendship. RIP 8:22 AM · Mar 19, 202211420366John Clayton was the kindest person. This was my first sideline job for the NFL. He found me, gave me advice, gave me some information for the broadcast and as always, wanted to talk about Braddock, PA. Thank you for everything John, I am so grateful for your friendship. RIP &hearts;️ https://t.co/i28uOSexT0Adam Schefter@AdamSchefterJohn Clayton will be remembered in so many ways, from how he looked after his wife Pat, to the mark he made in reporting, to the standard he set. He dedicated his life to his wife and to football. He was a pioneer, a caretaker, a Hall of Famer and a slayer, in every sense.7:40 AM · Mar 19, 2022446856942John Clayton will be remembered in so many ways, from how he looked after his wife Pat, to the mark he made in reporting, to the standard he set. He dedicated his life to his wife and to football. He was a pioneer, a caretaker, a Hall of Famer and a slayer, in every sense. https://t.co/34rFeSjiEWJeff Muzzy@jeffmuI'm posting a notice of personal friend and hall of fame broadcaster John Clayton @JohnClaytonNFL passing today at 3pm. Condolences to Pat and family.6:48 AM · Mar 19, 2022233583546I'm posting a notice of personal friend and hall of fame broadcaster John Clayton @JohnClaytonNFL passing today at 3pm. Condolences to Pat and family. https://t.co/JjU8sAfE1PJeff Darlington@JeffDarlingtonWhen I first met John Clayton, I was so nervous to meet a legend. After all, he helped carve the path for guys like me — sportswriters who aspired to work at ESPN.I never imagined he would become a great friend. I’m so sad. But so very fortunate to have known such a kind soul.7:49 AM · Mar 19, 2022204562When I first met John Clayton, I was so nervous to meet a legend. After all, he helped carve the path for guys like me — sportswriters who aspired to work at ESPN.I never imagined he would become a great friend. I’m so sad. But so very fortunate to have known such a kind soul. https://t.co/T0apxRkICJPro Football Writers@PFWAwritersThe PFWA mourns the passing of John Clayton. John was the PFWA's 19th president (1999-2000) and the organization's 2007 Bill Nunn Jr. Award recipient. &quot;The Professor&quot; was a friend to so many in our business. Our condolences to his wife Pat, family, colleagues and his many friends8:01 AM · Mar 19, 2022139971057The PFWA mourns the passing of John Clayton. John was the PFWA's 19th president (1999-2000) and the organization's 2007 Bill Nunn Jr. Award recipient. &quot;The Professor&quot; was a friend to so many in our business. Our condolences to his wife Pat, family, colleagues and his many friends https://t.co/66XLBeAXYFSeattle Mariners@MarinersWe join the sports community in mourning the passing of Hall of Fame broadcaster and Seattle legend, John Clayton. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.7:44 AM · Mar 19, 20224948522We join the sports community in mourning the passing of Hall of Fame broadcaster and Seattle legend, John Clayton. Our thoughts are with his friends and family. https://t.co/PG3lY0aanhMike Salk, Seattle Sports Station@TheMikeSalkIncredibly sad day for the entire 710, Seattle, and football communities as we lost John Clayton. On a personal note, I was lucky enough to talk with him and loved our banter. He is an absolute titan in our industry and will be missed immeasurably. My condolences to Pat.7:29 AM · Mar 19, 20223102179Incredibly sad day for the entire 710, Seattle, and football communities as we lost John Clayton. On a personal note, I was lucky enough to talk with him and loved our banter. He is an absolute titan in our industry and will be missed immeasurably. My condolences to Pat.Mike Sando@SandoNFLRIP John Clayton, hard to believe he’s gone. Rose to become all-time great NFL beat reporter &amp; later an @espn icon, but never forgot his Braddock, PA roots. No one more dogged, more dedicated. Truly one of a kind. Heartbroken for Pat. He loved her so much. ⁦@JohnClaytonNFL⁩7:41 AM · Mar 19, 20222376125RIP John Clayton, hard to believe he’s gone. Rose to become all-time great NFL beat reporter &amp; later an @espn icon, but never forgot his Braddock, PA roots. No one more dogged, more dedicated. Truly one of a kind. Heartbroken for Pat. He loved her so much. ⁦@JohnClaytonNFL⁩ https://t.co/i9Fl0GJkwJSeth Wickersham@SethWickershamMy friend of 22 years John Clayton died. He was one of those colleagues who was not only always eager to help you, but went above and beyond to help. He took his work seriously, with all his files and spreadsheets, but not himself. RIP to a gentleman and Hall of Famer.7:13 AM · Mar 19, 20228328424My friend of 22 years John Clayton died. He was one of those colleagues who was not only always eager to help you, but went above and beyond to help. He took his work seriously, with all his files and spreadsheets, but not himself. RIP to a gentleman and Hall of Famer.Jesse Jones@JesseKIRO7I’m so saddened by the news of John Clayton’s passing. He was my friend and mentor. He was brilliant, kind and thoughtful. My heart also goes out to his wife Pat. She is a brilliant light of life and meant absolutely everything to John. I just can’t believe this.7:35 AM · Mar 19, 2022113351I’m so saddened by the news of John Clayton’s passing. He was my friend and mentor. He was brilliant, kind and thoughtful. My heart also goes out to his wife Pat. She is a brilliant light of life and meant absolutely everything to John. I just can’t believe this.Jessamyn McIntyre@JessamynMcIntyrThe world lost an absolute legend in John Clayton today. RIP and all our thoughts to Pat and his family. 7:40 AM · Mar 19, 20223080101The world lost an absolute legend in John Clayton today. RIP and all our thoughts to Pat and his family. 💕 https://t.co/cBlbfG8Ns9WALTER JONES@BigWalt71I want to send my sincere condolences to John Clayton's family. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Thank you for your time and the love you always poured into your profession. You are a role model to many, in life and sport. RIP.8:14 AM · Mar 19, 20222712120I want to send my sincere condolences to John Clayton's family. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Thank you for your time and the love you always poured into your profession. You are a role model to many, in life and sport. RIP. https://t.co/ECTyYgzT5uMeanwhile, many acknowledged the late NFL reporter’s legacy and kindness while deeming the ‘Hall of Fame’ inductee a legend.

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