Kings PA announcer David Courtney dies, 56

David Courtney, public address announcer for the Los Angeles Kings, passed away Thursday, the team announced.

"David was tremendously passionate about the Kings, our fans and the game of hockey," Kings president of business operations Luc Robitaille said in a statement. "His time with the Kings dates back to the mid-1970s both in our PR office as our public relations director and also with work he did in our video department before he took over full-time public announcing duties at the Forum and Staples Center.

"In the arena he was an institution -- he was the voice of the Kings -- and his work added so much to the live, in-game experience for our fans as it did for the Clippers and Angels as well. Next season would have been David’s 35th year with our franchise, and on behalf of the entire Kings organization and AEG we are incredibly saddened by this news and we send our deepest condolences to his wife Janet and the rest of the Courtney family."

Courtney, 56, also served as PA announcer for the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball.

The Los Angeles Times reports Courtney started with the Kings in 1971 as a 14-year-old public relations assistant. He began announcing for the Kings in 1989.

Courtney, born in New York City, also worked for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, NBA's Houston Rockets, MLB's Houston Astros and USFL's Houston Gamblers, the newspaper said.