The minute's silence before the France vs. England game on Wednesday night was, apparently, for a French TV commentator who was very popular in his homeland.

(I say 'apparently' because Sky Sports weren't considerate enough to give subtitles to explain what was going on for what I suspect was the majority of their audience watching in pubs, who thus couldn't hear their commentators explaining it. I only finished work about half an hour before the game started, went straight to the pub, and thought some newsworthy tragedy must have occured for a while, until I realised the England players weren't wearing black armbands)

So, although I suspect it's probably a slightly morbid question - are there ANY British commentators who will be that sorely missed? I'm trying, but I can't think of one...

The radio ones are better. I like John Murray.

We had one for Brian Moore, but then he was a Gills fan and former director. I don't know if anything happened at other grounds.

I think that Motson would get one because he straddled the line that separated amiable, beloved familiarity and inane parody for so long before falling headlong into the latter. He's become a national institution, but in a dumb, hopeless, pitiful way.

If Peter Drury bought it, there wouldn't be a minute's silence nor applause. More along the lines of a large conga line, replete with cheerily-brandished bottles of champagne.

There'll be more than a minute's applause when Trevor "Snore" Francis passes.

The buggers won't be able to stop. Palm-readers will have to find a new line of work after the skin on the inside of everybody's hands has been worn away.

This goes for David 'Blathering Swine' Pleat, too.

And that Lawrenson.

On the other hand, that would call for a bank holiday.

The French guy (Thierry Gilardi), who was their main commentator for both national team and Champions League games and had hosted their version of Match of the Day, died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 49 on Tuesday.

I would expect England to honour even widely hated commentators (yes, I'm looking at you Tyldesley) in similar circumstances.

I mis-read 'honour' as 'hammer' there ursos. Ooops.

More of a summariser than commentator but I'd like to think that Stuart Hall's passing would be marked by something suitably over the top.

I minute's of blowing raspberries and flicking V's would do for Alan Green's memory.

Brian Moore died on the day of the Germany vs England match in 2001, and I don't recall there being a minute's silence for him. There may or may not have been one for Kenneth Wolstenholme - I can't remember. The death of my personal favourite commentator, Hugh Johns, last summer passed almost completely unremarked upon in the press.

Of those still alive, Motson has probably got a few years left in him and Barry Davies divided opinion, so I can't imagine that there would be much national mourning over either of those two. Martin Tyler is a legend to anyone that has Sky Sports, but to the rest of us he has merely been curiously quiet since he left Granada TV at the end of the 1980s.

There was a minute's silence for Moore -- which was disrupted at The Den, apparently.

Over here, when George Hamilton dies there will probably be some martial music for a few minutes on Lyric FM.

Like Ursus said, Thierry Gilardi was only 49, and had 3 kids. He came from Canal+ to TF1 a few years ago, replacing the charming Thierry Rolland. He seemed to be a nice guy, although his commentating style was a mittle bit over-excited at times. I was quite shocked when I heard about his sudden death.
R.I.P.

Having a minutes silence for a commentator seems wrong really. We should spend the minute doing impressions of them*, or if you're at Hereford the day Motson carks, you should run on the pitch wearing a parka.

*Except Gerald Sinstadt, of course.

Actually, I'd support a minute's silence for My Mate Gerry Harrison too, now I come to think of it.

He's so tall.

I for one will be gutted the day Barry Davies snuffs it - I've always been a big fan of his knowing, assuming-the-moral-and-cultural-high-ground style of commentating. And every time the cork pops on a bottle here at Ant Acres, I can never resist screaming "AAAOOOOHHH!!!! The taste of French wine! Abso-LOOT-ly mag-NIF-icent!" in B.D.'s honour. Mrs. Ant does not find this as amusing as I do, however.