What happened to Les Shapiro? Cause of death explored as Denver sportscaster dies aged 65

Les Shapiro passed away at the age of 65 (Image via RaulNBCBoston/Twitter)
Les Shapiro passed away at the age of 65 (Image via RaulNBCBoston/Twitter)

Well-known sportscaster Les Shapiro recently passed away at the age of 65 on January 29, 2022. His family issued a statement on his Facebook profile which read:

“He was at home, and the immediately family was all there. We spent the last four days with him, joking around, telling stories, and reading him the messages you all sent. We can’t imagine someone feeling more loved at the end of life than Les did.”

Shapiro’s family statement also mentioned that they would be holding Shiva (a week-long mourning period) in Scottsdale for the next three days and gatherings in Denver and Chicago in the upcoming few months.


Les Shapiro’s cause of death and career

The popular sports media personality died after a five-year battle with lung cancer. Les was committed to a regular fitness routine throughout his life and never smoked.

Shapiro's family disclosed through Facebook on January 25 that he decided to start hospice services because he did not have much time left.

Even though his date of birth is yet to be revealed, he was born in Grove, Illinois. He was raised in a sports-loving family: his late uncles Jordan Shapiro and Sherwin Shapiro were fans of Chicago sports teams.

Shapiro became an expert in youth sports and played baseball at New Trier Township High School. He graduated in mass communication from Arizona State University.

Les was the play-by-play voice of the Bradley University athletic teams in Peoria, Illinois, and grabbed the position of sports anchor on the Denver CBS affiliate, CBS4, and then the Fox TV affiliate, where he was featured as the voice of the Denver Broncos.

Les Shapiro was a popular sportscaster (Image via LauraWilson_TV/Twitter)
Les Shapiro was a popular sportscaster (Image via LauraWilson_TV/Twitter)

He was a constant master of ceremonies for charitable events in Denver and one of his sons is a freelance film producer in Los Angeles.

Shapiro began his career as a news writer and producer at KPNX-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, and was a sports anchor for WEEK-TV in Peoria, Illinois before shifting to Denver.

He worked as a sports reporter and anchor for CBS4 in Denver for 15 years, he worked for FOX-31, ESPN Radio, and Mile High Sports. Shapiro then covered the Broncos Super Bowl Victories in 1999 and 2000 and Avalanche’s first Stanley Cup championship.

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He then covered the inaugural season of the Colorado Rockies and was a partner in a Denver restaurant with Cy Young Award winner and former Chicago Cubs partner Steve Stone.


Netizens pay tribute to Les Shapiro

Les Shapiro was a familiar name in the world of sports and he was famous as an anchor and host. The public as well as other popular personalities expressed their grief on Twitter when they heard of his death.

Les is survived by his wife Paula and their two children. Although the date of their marriage remains unknown, they relocated to Scottsdale in 1975.

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Edited by Sandeep Banerjee
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