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Who are Les Levine's wife and children? Internet mourns ‘voice of truth and reason’ after tragic death at 74

Cleveland sports broadcaster Les Levine, who was famous for the 'More Sports & Les Levine' show, passed away at 74 after a protracted battle with Diabetes and Parkinson's

Les Levine, one of the most prominent voices in the field of sports from Cleveland, Ohio, has sadly passed away on February 4, 2021. Levine, whose career as a sportswriter and broadcaster spanned over 50 years, was battling diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. Levine’s death was announced by his daughter, Dr. Jamie Levine Daniel, on Twitter, in which she wrote how her father fought hard these diseases for several years.

Levine’s daughter, Jamie, took to Twitter to share the passing of her father, who died at 74. Jamie wrote: “After a protracted battle with diabetes and Parkinson’s, our dad [Les Levine] passed away at 9:23 pm with my brother and me holding on at his side. He fought so hard for so long, and went out on his own terms.”

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Les Levine’s life as sports broadcaster:

Levine was born and raised in Cleveland and started his career in 1970 as a columnist and had shows on television, cable TV, and radio, after graduating with a political science degree from Ohio State University. He had done pre and post-game shows for the Browns, Indians, and Cavs for several different media outlets. Among his fans and peers, he was known for his ‘How Come Quickies’ show, which featured fun and cringe-worthy puns.

Over 50 long years, Levine had broadcast over 2,500 sporting events in 39 states. His most famous show, ‘More Sports & Les Levine’, has been one of the most prominent sports talk show in Northeast Ohio since 1991. During one of his interviews with the Cleveland Seniors, Levine talked about the sports talk shows. He said, “Sports talk is very good in this town. Things went very well. Take something like Art Modell selling the Browns: the worst thing that could have happened to Cleveland, [but] the best thing that could have happened to sports talk shows. It brought mainstream audiences to sports talk.”

Levine had also done several pre and postgame shows for the old Cleveland Crusaders. He even penned for Cleveland Jewish News, where he wrote for the last time on New Year’s Eve.

Les Levine’s family:

Levine’s wife, Alison, is a breast cancer survivor and once said that strangers come up to her husband and talk to him as if they have known each other for years. Levine’s son, Jeremy, became a single dad in 2012 after his wife died of cancer. He also described his father as a “good salesman.”

“He talks sports. He listens. He has a natural curiosity and really cares about his sponsors and their businesses. I went on a lot of sales calls with him when I was growing up,” Jeremy said.

Levine’s daughter, Jamie, has worked as a Freelance Strategy Consultant and researched health and labor trends for Fremont, Ohio. Jamie has also provided consultation to the Global Initiatives Partnership between JDC and the international youth organization, BBYO. Jamie has also spent a year doing volunteer work in Turkey before getting her post-graduate degree from the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State.

After completing her Ph.D. from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, Jamie started working as an assistant professor at O’Neill School at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

"Voice of truth and reason"

After the news surfaced that Levine had sadly passed away, his fans from all over Cleveland and other parts of the United States started to pay tribute to the broadcast legend. One user wrote: "The self-proclaimed voice of truth and reason will never be forgotten! Thank you Les for all of the years of Cleveland sports talk. I was a listener, a viewer and an emailer. You will be missed. All my best wishes to the Levine family." Another wrote: "I am shocked & saddened to learn of your dads passing. I may never have met him but I felt like I knew him. I was a long time viewer & emailer to his show. My thoughts, prayers & best wishes to all of his family. #RIPLeslevine". The Cleveland Cavaliers posted a heartfelt tribute to the sports talk show host where they called him the "voice of truth & reason".

Levine is survived by his wife Alison, two children, two stepchildren, and multiple grandchildren.