Sky Sports commentator Bill Arthur has died. He was 68 years old.

Sky Sports said the reporter for rugby league had died after a long battle with prostate cancer.

The statement confirmed that he had died peacefully on Wednesday, with his family and friends by his side.

In 2011, Arthur was told he had the disease.

Sky said in a statement, “Bill was a much-loved and respected member of the Sky Sports family. His friends and coworkers will miss him very much.”

“Everyone at Sky Sports sends their heartfelt condolences to Bill’s loved-ones and ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.”

His children Simon, Meredith, Kit, and Nancy, as well as his wife Cherry, will miss him.

Arthur started his job in South Yorkshire, where he worked for the Barnsley Star and the Sheffield Star newspapers. He was born in Lemington Spa.

After that, he moved on to radio, working for Metro Radio in Newcastle and Radio City in Liverpool.

He was a huge fan of rugby league and started working as a pitchside and feature reporter for the magazine show Boots ‘N’ All in the early 1990s.

He was one of the first people to cover the new summer rugby and Super League. Some of the games he covered were the first Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.

After that, Arthur became a commentator in the late 1990s. From 2007 to 2012, he was the main commentator for Sky’s coverage of the Championship.

He took over as their main rugby league commentator from Eddie Hemmings in April 2019.

Hemmings said that Arthur’s work “will last forever.”

“Bill Arthur… what a pro!” he wrote. Bill and I met for the first time when I worked at BBC Radio Merseyside in Liverpool. Bill was at Radio City in the “opposition camp.”

“As the game grew on Sky, Bill’s skills as a commentator were put to use when he called the Academy games with Phil Clarke, who used to be captain of Wigan and Great Britain. They helped find many of the young players who went on to play in the Super League when it started in 1996.”

“This was the peak of Bill’s career. He called many years of Catalans Dragons games from the south of France and was an important part of the Sky Sports teams that went to Australia to cover Great Britain Lions and later England Internationals.” His skills as a commentator got better as he called League One games…

“He was the one who wrote such a beautiful account of the drama of St. Helens’ last-second try that won the Grand Final at Hull against Wigan in a stadium that was completely empty right after the COVID pandemic. It was a hard job that was done brilliantly against a background of empty seats and terraces.”

“But maybe Bill’s hardest time came when he was told he had prostate cancer, just like I was.” Men like me looked up to him for being brave enough to face the disease head-on. We followed him every step of the way.

“He gave me good advice and helped me fight the disease that took his life too soon. I will never forget his support and help.” That guy is so brave.

“Rest in peace Billy-Boy – your legacy will live on forever.”

Jonathan Licht, president and CEO of Sky Sports, paid tribute and said he was “truly saddened” by the death.

It made him sad to say, “We are very sorry for the death of our friend and coworker Bill Arthur.”

If you want to watch rugby league on Sky Sports, Bill has been there for you for 30 years.

“I want to thank Bill personally for his unwavering dedication to Sky and for the love and passion he showed for our viewers and sports fans.”

“I know that Bill will be greatly missed by those who were lucky enough to work with him, and I would like to extend my condolences to Bill’s wife, Cherry, and his family for their loss.”

Mike Stephenson, who used to summarize rugby league games for Sky Sports, said, “It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of our dear friend and colleague Bill Arthur.”

Everyone who knew him will miss him. He was a big deal in the world of broadcasting at Sky TV.

As someone who was always happy, Bill never lost his temper while I worked with him for many years. He always had a smile on his face, even when things were tough.

“He loved rugby league, and it was amazing to see how he could bring out the best in players, coaches, and even die-hard fans when he interviewed them.”

“I loved hearing his commentary from behind the mic. He was fair and accurate, and he wasn’t afraid to tell the truth.

“He also knew how to enjoy life, and I’ll never forget how many times, after a long day of broadcasting games, we’d have a drink or two, or three or more. It was always fun to talk about life, even though I had no idea what kind of music he liked!

“One day he called me and said that the great Martin Offiah had put out a record and asked us to write a song too!

“Of course I laughed it off, but Bill was determined, so we did it! We played it live on our midweek show Boots ‘n’ All, and many fans wrote in to say it was much better than Martin’s!

“Bill will be missed but never forgotten, so rest in Peace my friend, sing out loud in heaven!”

A rugby league commentator named Stuart Pyke said that Arthur had “immeasurable contributions to rugby league.” A reporter named Angela Powers thanked Arthur for “being a friend and role model.”

The rugby football league said that Arthur was a regular on Super League coverage.

Andy Wilson is the Head of Media for Rugby League Commercial. He said, “Bill Arthur has been an unsung hero of Sky’s Rugby League coverage from the very beginning.”

“He might not have the recognition factor of Eddie or Stevo – but that’s the way he preferred it – and on behalf of us all in Rugby League administration, as well as my former colleagues in the media, I send deep condolences to all Bill’s Sky Sports colleagues past and present, and to his family and friends.”

NFL team Hull FC said they were “devastated” by the news. Alex Walmsley, a star for St. Helens, said, “RIP Bill Arthur, was always a pleasure to talk to.” “One of the best in our game.”