Sky Sports commentator Wayne Mardle - the voice of darts - was noticeably absent from the opening night of the World Darts Championship after the awful news emerged that his beloved wife Donna died earlier this week.
Mardle was due to lead the broadcaster’s coverage via the commentary box and the analysis alongside Canadian and two-time world champion John Part, Welshman Mark Webster and former Premier League winner Glen Durrant. However, news of his wife’s death at the age of 52 following a short illness was announced on Sunday.
A clearly emotional Emma Paton announced Donna's passing on air during the half-hour preview of the tournament.
“Wayne is the heart and soul of everything we do here at Sky Sports darts, but the heart of his world, his wonderful wife Donna, sadly passed away earlier this week after a short illness.
“We will be remembering Donna throughout this tournament. Wayne, you are in our thoughts and hearts. We love you very much, and we will see you very soon.”
Sky Sports issued the following statement: "Sky Sports would like to send their thoughts, prayers and condolences to our commentator Wayne Mardle, following the passing of his wife Donna earlier this week."
The darting world has already shown its love for Hawaii 501 on social media, from dart pages and players alike, as the news was breaking across the sporting world.
Hopefully, we will see a return of the five-time world championship semi-finalist before the end of the tournament as he brings such excitement for his love of the game. However, it is being reported in the UK that Mardle will miss the entire World Championships.
His commentary of the World final between Michael Van Gerwan and Michael Smith went down as a viral hit, with the line “one man misses the other man gets, I can’t speak, I can’t speak” being one of the most said things in TikTok voice-over in a long time.
