Ed Farmer, who broadcast Chicago White Sox games on the radio for 28 years, died on April 1 at age 70.
Mr. Farmer also had played 11 seasons in the major leagues, including three with the White Sox, and was a strong advocate for organ donation.
“We have lost an extraordinary person with the passing of Chicago White Sox radio announcer Ed Farmer, and I have lost a dear friend,” said Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. “I was proud to partner with Ed on organ/tissue donation awareness and saw first-hand his passion and commitment to this lifesaving program. As a kidney recipient, he dedicated himself to giving back to the program that extended his life for nearly 30 years. Ed and I worked together to bring White Sox players to the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago, where they signed autographs, educated the public and, most importantly, registered people for the State’s organ/tissue donor program. Ed was a hero. My deepest sympathy to the Farmer family, his White Sox family and Ed’s many friends and fans.”
“Ed Farmer was the radio voice of the Chicago White Sox for three decades, and he called no-hitters, perfect games, and of course, a World Series championship,” said White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “His experience as a major league All-Star pitcher, his wry sense of clubhouse humor, his love of baseball and his passion for the White Sox combined to make White Sox radio broadcasts the sound of summer for millions of fans. Ed grew up a Sox fan on the South Side of Chicago and his allegiance showed every single night on the radio as he welcomed his ‘friends’ to the broadcast. I am truly devastated by the loss of my friend.”
Mr. Farmer’s All-Star appearance was as a member of the 1980 White Sox. He ranks 11th all-time in saves for the White Sox.
A lifelong resident of the South Side and the south suburbs, Mr. Farmer was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Chicago Catholic League Hall of Fame in 1999.
He underwent a kidney transplant in 1991 and became an organ donation activist, and formerly served member of the board of directors of the Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Foundation.