Tim Brando has been one of the most recognizable names in the broadcasting world, with a career spanning close to 40 years. But his celebrated career has often played out alongside moments of deep personal loss. In March 2020, he lost his brother, Curt, to cancer, someone whom he called his “hero” and the “best uncle” for his daughters. Now, 5 years since that tragic loss, Brando has lost another loved one to cancer, someone Brando says, “kept us going through tough times.” 

Coping with Curt’s loss wasn’t easy, as Tim, in a Facebook post, remembered how his parents told him that they were getting a new family member when Tim was 12. And at that moment, Tim got to pick Curt’s name. “Curt Gowdy was my broadcasting idol, and that’s gonna be your name. Curt was my hero, but what I didn’t realize then, but do now, is that you, too. Curt (my little bro) would become my hero,” wrote Tim Brando in an emotional post 5 years back. And now, time has brought the legendary broadcaster to the same juncture as he has lost his beloved sister, Gigi Gertson, to cancer.

Tim Brando took to X and shared heartfelt pictures with his sister and family from his childhood days, and described how his sister, Gigi, became a “second mom” to him and his brothers, supporting them in every step. “It’s hard losing loved ones, and lately I’ve had my fair share of loss. Over the weekend, my big sis Gigi Gertson passed away. She fought a breast cancer diagnosis 30 plus years ago, and after going thru several versions of remission, her battle ended early Saturday morning,” Tim Brando shared in a moving tribute, as he went on to reflect on how much of his childhood was shaped by her love and influence.

Tim described how Gigi grew into a “talented dancer,” and even taught dance in Shreveport, Louisiana, where the family lived. Moreover, she was even part of their “Dad’s TV Family show band,” growing up. “Like most siblings, we had our differences thru the years, but when the time came to be there for one another, we thankfully were. I’m so glad her long battle with cancer is over, and she’s in heaven, no longer in any pain. May God bless and keep her🙏💜,” wrote Brando.

Gigi spent much of her time in Dallas before coming back to Louisiana to help Tim’s other brother, Chris to help with his mom, before Tim’s mom passed in November last year. Gigi filled the Brando family’s lives with love, and her passion is a reminder of how difficult it is to face the loss of a sibling, especially so soon after Tim also lost his mother last November. In honoring Gigi’s legacy, and remembering the care she poured into her brothers, often stepping up as their second mom. One can only wish Tim Brando and his family strength and peace in the face of so much heartache.

The Curt Connection to Brando’s ESPN Career.

Notably, Hub Brando, Tim’s father, was a prominent broadcaster at the KCIJ radio station in Shreveport, and from him, he got the inspiration to become a broadcaster himself. Even Tim’s brother, Curt, was a renowned syndicated writer and international editor for several publications, including The National and TradeTimes, Hong Kong. Curt’s father, already being a broadcaster, was undoubtedly a big factor in Tim becoming a renowned broadcaster. But Curt Gowdy, the legendary broadcaster who passed away in 2006, became a catalyst in propelling Tim to the bigger stage. In an earlier interview with Ulmarhawks.com, Tim remembered how he told Gowdy about naming his brother after him, but Gowdy? He was already familiar with Tim Brando.

“I tell him about naming my brother Curt after him, and I think he thought at first, ‘Is this kid conning me?’ Later, I got him on the phone with my 11-year-old brother, and we all got a little emotional. Then Gowdy says, ‘You know, kid, Bob Earle sent me your tapes when you were at WIBR. He’s a friend of mine, and he’s been sending me your tapes for the last two or three years. I’d like to have breakfast with you tomorrow at the Hyatt,” remembered Tim Brando.

At that breakfast meeting with Gawdy, Tim Brando, then 26, got invaluable advice about continuing what he was doing, and the results will show. “You keep doing that, and I guarantee you, you’ll be on that new thing. That ESPN thing,” said Gawdy to Tim. And guess what? In less than 3 years, Tim got an offer from ESPN to become their ‘SportCenter’ anchor, hosting College GameDay when Tim was working at WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge. From then on, the gates of the broadcasting world finally opened for Tim Brando, and he hasn’t stopped ever since.