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Button, a longtime New York resident, died at his Ice Pond Farm in Northern Westchester County's North Salem. He was a native of Englewood, New Jersey.
Known as “The Voice of Figure Skating” from 1960 to 2010, Button was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015.
While with ABC, his no-holds-barred analysis and caustic commentary earned him the first Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality (1981).
Button was inducted into the inaugural classes of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame (1976), the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame (1976) and the US Olympic Hall of Fame (1983).
Button won consecutive Olympic gold medals (1948 and 1952), five-consecutive World titles (1948–52), three-consecutive North American titles (1947, 1949, 1951), seven-consecutive US titles (1947–52) and a rare European Championships (1948), making him the only man to hold these titles at the same time.
After he and Canadian Barbara Ann Scott won the European Championships in Prague, North Americans were no longer invited to the competition.
A serious student while competing internationally, he attended Harvard University from 1948–52, where he earned his bachelor’s degree and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1956. Button retired from amateur skating in 1952 and skated professionally with Ice Capades and Holiday on Ice.
Button also was the visionary behind ABC’s “The Superstars,” a popular TV series in the 1970s and ’80s that pitted top athletes against each other in a variety of sports.
In 1949, Button became the first figure skater to earn the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award, which honors the best American amateur athlete.
Button is survived by his longtime partner and spouse Dennis Grimaldi, and his two children, Edward Button and Emily Button, according to US Figure Skating.
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