Maybe you knew Don West for his work as a wrestling announcer or maybe you knew him as the guy who spent a good chunk of the 90s and early 2000s selling “Gem Mint 10″ baseball cards on the Shop at Home Network.
He was great and memorable in both gigs. And now he is gone.
According to multiple reports, West, 59, has died following a battle with lymphoma in his brain. West first announced he was battling the disease in June of 2021 before later saying he was in remission. He announced its return in January.
Another legendary wrestling announcer, Mike Tenay, who worked alongside West in the early years of TNA, tweeted about his passing.
“Just heard from wife Terri that our brother (Don West) will be spending New Years in heaven. Terri said D-Dub finally had to tap out from his match with lymphoma. We bonded as soon as we met, both as broadcast partners and friends. Years of great moments both on and off camera.”
West spent most of the 90s selling sports memorabilia, knives and more for the Shop at Home Network before leaving there in 2001. He took a gig with TNA as an announcer in 2002, and he worked there through 2017.
His final appearance with TNA came in July of that year at the Slammiversary XV pay-per-view.
Impact Wrestling, the company that TNA eventually became, posted regarding his death on social media. The company called West “on of the defining voices of our 20 year history.”
“Don’t enthusiasm and passion elevated every second he called and uplifted the spirits of everybody he crossed paths with,” the company said in its post. “He will be dearly missed.”
