Colourful and outspoken broadcaster Ron Casey has died, aged 89.
He was well known for his work with Nine's Wide World of Sports program and also worked on the Seven and Ten networks, as well as hosting talkback programs on radio stations 2GB, 2SM and 2KY.
Casey died at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital on Tuesday morning.
Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Ray Hadley were among those to pay tribute following news of the controversial media personality's death.
"His stock-in-trade was being the aggressive, tough-talking guy, but underneath it all, he was an absolute gentleman," Kennerley told Studio 10.
Casey once famously had an on-air punch up with singer and Vietnam veteran Normie Rowe on daytime television in July 1991.
The pair came to blows during a vigorous debate on Channel Nine's Midday show over whether Australia should become a republic.
They later made up, filming a commercial together for Bushells Tea where they were shown sharing a cuppa as a video of their fight played in the background.
Rowe on Tuesday told Studio 10 he didn't want the infamous brawl "to be what Ron goes out with".
"I would like to be able to celebrate his life," Rowe said.
"His beautiful wife ... she must be suffering terribly at the moment and I think what we need to do is push all of those negative things aside and think about the things that perhaps Ron did that were worthwhile."
Hadley said Casey was an institution on television and radio when he joined the industry almost 40 years ago.
"Despite the bravado, he was, in fact, a very nice man who enjoyed a long and successful media career until his retirement," Hadley said on 2GB.
"The bloke I knew was not the same as the bloke that was rather biting and challenging on the radio and the TV. He was a pretty gentle soul."
