White Sox Radio Broadcaster Ed Farmer Passes Away at Age 70
By Jerry Trotta
It is with heavy hearts that we say that we have some devastating news to report out of the Windy City.
The Chicago White Sox announced that Ed Farmer, the longtime radio play-by-play broadcaster for the club, passed away at the age of 70 on Wednesday night.
We mourn the death of Ed Farmer who passed away Wednesday night.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 2, 2020
Farmer worked as a radio broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox for nearly 30 years, played 11 seasons in the major leagues, including three with his hometown White Sox, and was a strong advocate for organ donation. pic.twitter.com/wx7itjfEYk
Per the Chicago Tribune, Farmer recently inherited polycystic kidney disease, a sickness that led to the death of his mother when she was just 38 years old. At one point in time, Farmer was instructed to take over 50 pills on a daily basis.
He even received a kidney transplant from his brother.
Farmer, a Chicago native, began his career in the radio booth for the White Sox in 1992 and became the team's play-by-play commentator in 2006.
Ed Farmer was incredibly funny, deeply knowledgeable, and intense in his love of baseball. Loved talking with him. What awful news.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 2, 2020
Prior to his broadcasting career, Farmer thrived as an MLB pitcher for 11 seasons. The former All-Star played for nine teams, including the White Sox, and logged a 4.30 ERA, 75 saves, and 395 strikeouts across 624 innings of work.
This news is nothing short of devastating. Our thoughts go out to his family during this trying time.