Richard Durrett, the Texas Rangers beat reporter for ESPN Dallas, died suddenly Tuesday. He was 38.

ESPN Reporter Dies

Durrett’s death was announced by ESPNDallas.com Tuesday night, though the website did not provide further details on the circumstances surrounding his passing.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Richard Durrett, who covered the Texas Rangers and other sports for ESPN Dallas for the past five years," said Patrick Stiegman, ESPN VP and editorial director. "Richard, 38, was a dedicated colleague and friend who was extremely respected and well-liked. He was known for creativity and an exceptional work ethic throughout his ESPN tenure, and nearly a decade at The Dallas Morning News before that.”

Since joining ESPN in 2009, Durrett wrote about a variety of teams, but his focus was baseball franchise Texas Rangers. The team released a statement to share its condolences for the beloved reporter.

"Mr. Durrett earned the respect of team management and field personnel for his fair and thorough coverage on the Rangers beat," the statement said. "Mr. Durrett was a versatile journalist in every sense of the word with both his written and electronic coverage. He was always willing to contribute to Rangers publications and even did occasional radio play-by-play on Rangers broadcasts in spring training and the regular season."

Prior to joining ESPN Dallas, Durrett wrote for The Dallas Morning News. Previously, he served as the sports editor at the Denton, Texas-based Record-Chronicle. On the airwaves, Durrett co-hosted a radio show for ESPN Dallas with Ian Fitzsimmons.

Durrett is survived by his wife, Kelly, and two children, Owen and Alice.

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