A veteran Major League Baseball announcer who called games on television for more than three decades died Friday at 87, SportsNewser reports.

Ernie Johnson Sr., a former player with the Atlanta Braves, was the voice of TBS’s broadcasts of Braves games and a member of the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame. He called games from 1966-1999. He had been ill for some time.

Johnson’s son, Ernie Johnson Jr., is a well-known sports broadcaster who’s also a Turner Sports regular, including his role as host of "The NBA on TNT."

David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting System Inc., issued a statement saying: "The Turner Sports family is saddened by the loss of Ernie Johnson Sr. He was an iconic voice who helped create a national fan base for TBS’s baseball coverage of the Atlanta Braves. Our deepest sympathies to his wife, Lois, his children Ernie Jr., Chris and Dawn, and his grandchildren."