The Chicago Bulls are in serious mourning following the unexpected death of former player turned broadcaster Stacey King on Sunday. He was found dead in his Chicago home at the age of 59. The cause of death remains unknown.
On Monday, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office officially stated that King will undergo a head autopsy to determine the cause of death, per Maher Kawash and Marshall Harris of ABC 7 Chicago.
One of King's closest friends, Ike White, said that he and King were making summer plans when he got word of the horrific news from King's son over the phone.
“Not too long ago, I talked to him, and we had made plans for the summer,” White told ABC 7. “We were gonna go have shrimp and just have a good summer. Then, this morning, I was driving, and his son called and told me that Stacey had passed. And that was totally unexpected,” he said. “Friends 30 years, and just like that, unexpected. It's shocking. I'm hurting… Just to see his son crying like that, and there's nothing you can do.”
Meanwhile, many in the Bulls' family and throughout Chicago are pouring in their tributes.
Chicago drafted King in 1989 out of the University of Oklahoma. He would play in Chicago from 1989 to 1994. He won three championships as part of the Bulls' first three-peat (1991-1993).
Then, King parlayed his outgoing personality into a broadcasting role with the Bulls, beginning in 2006. From there, King became one of the most beloved media personalities in Chicago sports. He was known for using catchphrases such as “gimme the hot sauce' and “Elizabeth, I'm coming” in reference to the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son.
The Chicago Bulls are in serious mourning following the unexpected death of former player turned broadcaster Stacey King on Sunday. He was found dead in his Chicago home at the age of 59. The cause of death remains unknown. On Monday, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office officially stated that King will undergo a head autopsy to determine the cause of death, per Maher Kawash and Marshall Harris of ABC 7 Chicago.