Veteran sports commentator Sean Cardovillis has passed away at his house along Rhapta Road in Westlands, Nairobi.
Close friends privy to the matter who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke on condition of anonymity confirmed that a relative found him dead at his house.
Police, who spoke to the media, said that he was found outside his house. The sports journalist has been battling a protracted illness.
In 2022, he was admitted to the High Dependency Unit (HDU) at a city hospital, with doctors monitoring his progress. Cardovillis was later diagnosed with pneumonia, prompting his family to appeal for help to clear medical bills.
"Sean has been hospitalized for a while now. He is receiving professional treatment and is improving, but needs monitoring and further care," read the poster circulated by his family.
Cardovillis is among the most renowned sports presenters and personalities, with more than 20 years of experience in radio and TV.
He has previously worked for Capital FM, Standard Group PLC and Nation Media Group in the Sports category. Between 2006 and 2012, he worked for Paradise FM in the Tal FM in the Seychelles.
Throughout his career, he won accolades, including the 2007 BBC Africa Radio Award for sports and the Sport Award at the 2007 CNN/Multichoice African Journalist of the Year Awards.
The journalist has also covered international sporting events, including the London and Rio Olympics, the Cricket World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and the Africa Cup of Nations. He has also interviewed golf legend Tiger Woods twice in Dubai at the Dubai Desert Classic.
His career began in 1997 at Capital FM as a presenter and rose through the ranks to become the sports editor. After 17 years, he joined Nation as a radio sports commentator before transitioning to TV as a sports journalist.
In 2020, he confirmed leaving NTV and sought to take a break from active journalism.
A year later, he announced a comeback to Capital FM after 18 years, presenting sports updates from Mondays to Saturdays.
