East Carolina legendary radio voice Jeff Charles, 70, dies; basketball game vs Tulane postponed
East Carolina athletics radio voice Jeff Charles, the longtime "Voice of the Pirates", died Friday unexpectedly in New Orleans while accompanying the team for Saturday's game at Tulane, the school announced.
Charles, 70, called East Carolina games since 1988 after stops at Virginia Tech, Illinois and Furman. Last month, Charles called his 1,000th ECU men's basketball game.
All of Pirate Nation mourns the passing of Jeff "The Voice” Charles 💜 pic.twitter.com/bQmg8o2wE9
— East Carolina Pirates (@ECUAthletics) February 11, 2023
Charles' "You can paint this one purple!" exclamation after victories has been a ECU staple since he came up with the tradition early in his tenure.
The game at Tulane has been postponed, the school said, with a reschedule date to be determined.
"East Carolina University and ECU Athletics extends its condolences to the Charles family and to the Greenville community," the school said in a release.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: ECU athletics radio voice Jeff Charles dies; basketball game postponed
