The city of Cleveland lost more than a writer on Friday morning; it lost its witness. Bill Livingston, the prolific voice who defined Northeast Ohio sports for over three decades at The Plain Dealer, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 77.

His passing feels like the closing of a heavy book, one filled with the ink of legendary triumphs and the “heartbreak” of near misses. Former Browns QB Bernie Kosar, who played in the very games Livingston wrote about for years, offered a tribute that spoke volumes in its brevity. 

Writing from his own hospital bed as he battles a “small” liver transplant rejection, the former Browns quarterback shared a simple, soul-stirring message on X: “RIP Bill 🙏”

The sports world has lost a legendary voice with the passing of Bill Livingston. Over a career that lasted 47 years, Bill transformed sports reporting into an art form. He wasn’t just interested in the final score; he wrote like a poet and a critic, often using references to classic literature and mythology to explain the drama of the game. 

He was a man of blunt honesty, never hesitating to hold players and coaches to a high standard. Yet, he had a unique gift for capturing the raw intensity and deep emotion that came with every victory and defeat. His presence helped restore pride to a franchise that had been struggling for years. For instance, since the late 1960s, the team’s only real spark of hope had been the brief, “Kardiac Kids” season, but he turned that fleeting success into something more substantial during the Bernie Kosar era.

Bill’s journey took him from the basketball courts of Philadelphia to the heart of Cleveland sports. In his early years, he famously covered the Philadelphia 76ers during the height of Julius “Dr. J” Erving’s career. When he moved to Cleveland, he became a fixture of the city’s history. He lived through the Browns’ intense seasons in the 1980s, the Cleveland Indians’ dominant run in the 90s, and the incredible rise of LeBron James, which eventually led to the Cavaliers’ historic 2016 championship.

Beyond his local work, Bill was a global traveler who covered almost every major sporting event on the planet. His resume included numerous Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Finals, and even heavyweight boxing matches. He walked the courses of all four major golf tournaments and sat in the stands for the Indy 500. He was also a veteran of the Olympics, reporting from seven different Summer and Winter Games. He was the kind of reporter who wanted to feel the action personally; at one point, he even rode in a bobsled during the 1994 Winter Olympics to better understand the sport.

What truly set Bill apart was his incredible range. He could write with the same passion and insight about a pole vaulter as he could about a professional superstar. He always looked for the human story behind the athlete, making sure his readers understood the person underneath the jersey. His unique perspective and deep wisdom will be missed by sports fans everywhere.

Terry Pluto recalls a moment with his friend, the late Bill Livingston

It was Father’s Day in 2016, and the energy inside Oakland’s Oracle Arena was intense. Terry Pluto and Bill Livingston, a writer known to everyone as “Livy,” were sitting side-by-side at the media table. As columnists for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com, they were there to cover Game 7 of the NBA Finals. For two men who had spent decades writing about Cleveland teams losing at the last second, the pressure was higher than ever. Livy called this “working without a net” because they had to craft a column on a tight deadline while a historic game was still being decided.

Both men were secretly nervous because they knew they were witnessing a legacy-defining moment. The Cleveland Cavaliers had done something no other team in NBA history had ever done: they came back from being down 3–1 in the series to force a final seventh game. If the Cavs could win, it would be the biggest story of their careers. Terry and Livy sat together in the heat of the arena, waiting to see if the city’s long championship drought was finally about to end.

For 22 years, Terry and Livy were friendly rivals at competing newspapers, each vying to write the better story. When Terry finally joined Livy at The Plain Dealer, it took a while for them to find their rhythm as colleagues. Livy was an elegant, artistic writer who loved sports that Terry didn’t follow as closely, like the Olympics and track and field. Despite their different styles, they shared a deep bond over their love for professional basketball.

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Throughout their years together, they spent countless hours sharing stories. Livy loved to talk about his time covering the Philadelphia 76ers and players with funny nicknames like “Bubbles Hawkins.” Even though they started as competitors, Terry grew to deeply respect Livy’s work, from his books on old basketball teams to his stories about Olympic pole vaulters. Looking back on that night in 2016, Terry remembers not just the historic game, but the friendship of the man sitting next to him on press row.