Frank Gifford, former NFL player and announcer, dies at 84

Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford has died. He was 84.

In a statement released by NBC News Sunday, his family said Gifford died suddenly at his Connecticut home of natural causes that morning.

A versatile star on both offense and defense in an era when NFL players were starting to specialize, Gifford went on to a successful second career as a broadcaster on “Monday Night Football.”

Gifford was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1956 when he led the New York Giants to a league championship.

His family said in the statement: “We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being.”

This story was originally published August 9, 2015 at 3:32 PM.