Dick Button, Postwar Figure Skating Star and Longtime Commentator, Dies at 95

Dick Button, an American figure skating icon who went on to a long career as a face of his sport on television, died Thursday. He was 95.

Button's son, Edward, announced his death without giving a cause, per Barry Wilner of the AP.

In 1948 in Davos, Switzerland, Button became the first American man in history to win men's singles gold at the World Figure Skating Championships. He then repeated that feat in each of the next four years, kicking off a run of 12 straight American men's singles world champions.

The Englewood, N.J., native won Olympic men's singles gold medals in St. Moritz, Switzerland in '48 and Oslo in 1952. He even won a European Championship in Prague in '48 for good measure.

On the ice, Button was an innovator in competition, landing the first successful double axel in '48 and the first successful triple jump in '52.

Upon the conclusion of his career, Button became a respected television voice of figure skating on ABC—which transformed the sport into the showpiece of its Winter Olympics telecasts.