Editor’s note: This article provides more detailed information on a story that was reported earlier today at QZVX.
Sports fans in Whatcom County learned Tuesday morning that well-known local sportscaster Mark Scholten passed away on Monday, August 14, 2023, at his residence. The cause of death was reported to be natural causes. After graduating from Bellingham High School, Scholten began his broadcasting career at KGMI — slightly more than 30 years ago. When SAGA Communications purchased the five commercial radio stations in Bellingham, in the late 1990s, Scholten stayed with the company but he was most often heard on Saga’s KPUG — the sports leader station. Mark hosted the popular sports talk show “The Zone,” originally with Doug Lange, and later on his own. That show had first aired on KGMI and then it moved to KPUG. Up until the time of his passing, Scholten’s sports reports were heard on both KPUG and KGMI.
For more than seven decades, Bellingham radio has had three local sports personalities who would qualify as pillars of the community: Haines Fay beginning in the 1940s, Dick Stark beginning in the ’60s, and Mark Scholten since the early ’90s. Their familiar voices and faces were “fixtures” at high school basketball and football games, championship games and sports award banquets.
With the passing of Fay in 2014, Stark in 2022, and now Scholten’s early passing at age 54, it has left a big void in Bellingham sports radio with no obvious heir apparent to fill that iconic role. Read more about Mark Scholten by clicking HERE.
Presently editor and historical writer with QZVX.COM in Seattle. Former radio broadcaster and radio station owner, 1970-1999. Journalism and speech communications degrees. I enjoy researching articles and online reporting that allows me to meld together words, audio and video. P.S. I appreciate and encourage reader comments and opinions. View other articles by Steven Smith
Wow sure a lot of young athletes dying “suddenly” of natural causes for it not to be related to the Marxist medical emergency we just lived through.
I guess it’s nice they let most live through it instead of jailing or detaining a lot of people (you know, for “health” or “democracy” or whatever their pot, coke and heroin tells them to say on TV).
Enjoy the future horrors, I’ll take Jesus instead of what’s coming.
Statistics show a correlation between the vax and sudden death. The media will continue to ignore that.
Wow, I’ve got to tell you, this is a world that loves liars a lot!
How does “dying suddenly” come up in the news so often AFTER that medical thing (sh0t) that was supposed to save the world recently?
You are a world honoring satan through lies, cowardice, money and fraud that will bring disaster to the future.
PS more “died suddenly” tomorrow as people continue to pretend – count on it
“Natural causes”, Peter. Unnamed natural causes… SUDDEN DEATH
National Center for Biotechnology Information… https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10332948/
In the 60–79 years age group, death occurrence in 2022 was associated with a higher likelihood of sudden death than occurrence in 2021. Individuals with no underlying condition and one or two underlying conditions had a higher risk of sudden death compared with individuals with more than three underlying conditions.
People with more than two vaccine booster shots had a higher risk of sudden death than unvaccinated individuals.
Age > 80 years, death occurrence in 2022, and male sex were associated with an increased risk of sudden death.
Individuals without underlying condition and one or two underlying conditions had a higher risk of sudden death than individuals with more than three underlying conditions. People with one or two doses and more than two vaccine booster shots had a lower risk of sudden death than unvaccinated individuals.