Longtime Boston sports personality Lanny Lee Larason, known professionally Tom Larson, died Wednesday in Fredericksburg, Virginia., of complications from cancer at 84 years of age.
His son, Jeff Larson broke the unfortunate news to the Boston Globe.
Larson was a fixture in the local broadcasting scene in Boston for the better part of four decades. He first started his career as a public affairs director at Channel 38 (WSBK-TV) in Boston.
From there he would go on to served as sports director at WHDH radio from 1981-88. During his time at WHDH radio, he was named “Best Sportscaster” in the city.of Boston by Boston Magazine.
In 1981, nine years after the Boston Bruins 1972 Stanley Cup win, he famously vowed that he would not shave his beard until the Bruins won the Stanley Cup again.
30 years later in 2011, he got his wish.
RiP, legendary Bruins TV studio host Tom Larson.
In 1981, he vowed not to shave off his beard until the Bruins won the Cup…,it only took 30 years. pic.twitter.com/Ob8sNnXCCm
— Boston Radio Watch®️ (@bostonradio) November 25, 2023
He is perhaps best known for his role in the early days of New England Sports Network (NESN). He joined the network in 1986, just two years after its inception.
Larson served as a studio host for studio shows covering the Boston Bruins and the Boston Red Sox at NESN, on top of working as a reporter and a writer for the network.
For many Boston fans, Larson served as the face of Bruins and Red Sox programming for quite some time. So it should come as no surprise that fans took to social media to share some of their best memories of Larson and offer their condolences on social media after this unfortunate news emerged.
How am I just hearing this now? R.I.P. Tom Larson. You will be dearly missed. pic.twitter.com/JrffbLKqnW
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) November 25, 2023
RIP Tom Larson, long the Ch. 38 narrator of the Bruins in their late-'60s/early-'70s glory years.
The calm, understated voice of a team that otherwise bellowed like no other.— Kevin Paul Dupont (@GlobeKPD) November 24, 2023
We met just once, but I watched him countless times on TV. RIP Tom Larson, the man who helped grow my love of the Bruins and was an incredible role model as I began my TV career. https://t.co/ByPeCvNUTM
— Frank Carpano (@NBC10_FrankCarp) November 25, 2023
