Stuart Scott, the long term ESPN anchor and sports reporter whose infectious catchphrases such as "boo-ya" and "as cool as the other side of the pillow" became a permanent part of sports talk parlance, died Sunday morning from cancer at the age of 49.

President Obama, whom Scott once memorably interviewed while the two men played a game of one-on-one basketball, shared his respect and admiration for Scott as he offered his condolences to the broadcaster’s many friends and family.

"I will miss Stuart Scott. Twenty years ago, Stu helped usher in a new way to talk about our favorite teams and the day's best plays,” said Obama as reported on ESPN.

The President went on to describe the therapeutic role Scott had on his life, saying:

“For much of those twenty years, public service and campaigns have kept me from my family – but wherever I went, I could flip on the TV and Stu and his colleagues on SportsCenter were there. Over the years, he entertained us, and in the end, he inspired us – with courage and love. Michelle and I offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, and colleagues."

Born in Chicago, Scott graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1987.

He began working on ESPN's SportsCenter in 1993. His broadcasting roles expanded to the network's NFL and NBA coverage.

He covered the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl, as well as the World Series, and in doing so became as famous as the athletes he interviewed.

Scott, a father of two girls, received a standing ovation during his acceptance of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2014 ESPY Awards last July.

As he accepted the award, Scott made some astute and moving observations about life under the shadow of his recurring disease. He was first diagnosed in 2007.

"When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer,” Scott said. "You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live."